The Perfect Plan
by DragonInk
Summary: It is the perfect plan. Two best friends, one without a dad one without a mum. They're practically inseperable. Some would class them as the perfect couple. Some would class them as brother and sister... Why not?
1. Ideas and Reasoning

Chapter One

**The Perfect Plan**

**Ideas and Reasoning**

Cordelia woke up blearily from the increasing noise in her chambers. Pulling open her curtains around the bed she saw the maker of said noise. It was one of her roommates dancing around and singing into a hairbrush, _her_ hairbrush, as she listened to a particularly loud song by the 'Right-Way Left Boys'. She had the right mind to grab it out of her hand and storm her way back into her bed when she glanced at the clock on her dressing table.

She was late.

Thank Merlin it was Saturday or else he would be even more sardonic than usual. She quickly ran to the bathroom to take a quick shower and then dressed and ran downstairs to the common room. It was filled with tired seventh years that had obviously stayed up all night studying. It was because of that she dreaded going into seventh year because it looked so hard and stressful. Seventh year exams were obviously something to be reckoned with. For now she would just have to concentrate on passing her O.W.Ls. They were coming up in the end of fifth year and she was quite confident that she would pass them. Being in fourth year she had a while to prepare. Unlike her best friend who was way too convinced that he would get high marks across the board. Speaking of him, she remembered the reason she ran out of bed so fast and continued in her pace to the portrait hole.

_He's going to kill me,_ she thought as she ran outside towards the lake. He was already there. _Damn him and his Slytherin punctuality_. It was one of the things she was always envious of because he was so controlled and in order. She, on the other hand, was the complete opposite. "All chaos and unkempt beauty," as he would say. She blamed her mother for that. Though most of the blame often fell on the alarm clock which was so loud that it was often found in pieces at the bottom of her bed, which was the home it found every morning when she would wake up and throw it there.

He turned as she walked up to him as if he could feel her presence. He said he got that from his father. This she had always felt was a little creepy and it was one of the main reasons she would never visit over the holidays. He would always tell her that his father wasn't as bad as everyone thought he was and she believed him, but not as far as to stay at his house during summer, or any other holiday that is.

Family, after all, was everything and that was also a reason he had never come to stay with her. Neither had told their parents about the other in fear that they would never see each other again. They were best friends and often viewed as brother and sister. They had been that way since they met four years ago and no one in either house had had the nerve to challenge it.

The Slytherins accepted her after a month of his exile for hanging around with her. During this they had noted that he didn't seem to care. Even though he was only a first year, they realized he was a strong one who needed no one other than those he felt that mattered. They also took on his family history and the name of his father who was also a famous Slytherin who cared for none other than himself and the things that pleased only him be they accepted by the latter or not.

The Griffindors just trusted her one way or the other, knowing that if she chose to be his friend then they couldn't stop her, and they were right. Though there was always those awkward moments when he would be sitting in their common room and they wouldn't have a clue on how to approach him, especially when he sat on his own doing his work. They didn't have to worry about that now though because he had a friend in fifth year that was a prefect and for that came the privilege of his own room whenever he wanted. It was the place that she had spent most of her time.

As she walked up to him she could see the annoyance at her lateness flash across his eyes. "I'm sorry," she said.

For a minute she thought she saw a look of surprise or confusion, but it was masked as quickly as it had arrived. "Well you took your time. What happened, did you get lost in the shower?" he smirked.

She furrowed her brow. "Why would you say that?"

He walked up to her and covered their remaining distance and ran a hand through her hair. When he took it away he showed it to her. "You have soap in your hair. I'd think that even a Weasley could tell which way the water runs. Can't they?" He looked hopeful but she could see, as well as sense, the humor and sarcasm in his voice.

"Very funny, but you don't have to be so sarcastic. I agreed to meet you here because you wanted help. Now what is it? I was rudely awoken from sleep by a bad rendition of 'The Right-Way Left Boys' and I do not want to continue this beautiful Saturday morning having to guess my way through this conversation." She sat down on the grass next to him and hung her head in her hands and started to play with her eyelashes. It was a habit that she couldn't get rid of, especially when they were wet.

He was taken aback but not altogether surprised by her sharp tongue. He had – if anything – taught her well since he had met her.

Waiting for a reply was proving tedious and it was getting her nowhere. In the end her temper got the better of her. She slammed her hands down on the grass. "Chayse Sebastian Malfoy! Answer my question right now! I have no intention of having a staring contest with you. If that is what you had in mind I would rather go back to sleep!" she yelled. Some of the others on the grounds stared at them, but they turned back silently still listening in; anything that happened between these two was news. As much time that had passed, they were the only two from either house that would talk in any way. Even after the war ended and all the houses, including Slytherin and Gryffindor, had teamed up to fight together as the Sorting Hat had once said years ago, the two houses were still wary of each other. Chayse and Cordelia were the first for fourteen years that had actually had any form of friendship.

But they were always arguing this way; it was no big deal or surprise. In a way everyone just thought eventually they'd see each other in the way everyone else saw them and get a room and be done with it. But both parties continued on with their friendship un-phased by anything anyone else had to say, just as they were doing now.

Chayse smiled in a way that made Cordelia wonder what he was up to. She was about to ask him when he cut her off inhaling deeply.

"You know, I knew that there was something missing from this bright and cheerful morning. I just realised what it was; a good dose of the old Weasley temper. Now I feel better. Come on." He walked back toward the castle.

Cordelia followed him ignoring the hopeful looks that they were getting from others. _Honestly, do these people have nothing better to do with their lives_? She had to practically run to catch up with him and only just managed to catch him when he reached his house portrait. She waited expecting him to say the password for them to enter but he just paused and turned.

"You know the procedure, cover your ears." He twirled his finger signifying she had to turn around as well.

"Why? I've been in the common room before, what difference should it make that I know the password?" she asked.

"We can't have your lot running in and out of here screaming our password to the top of their lungs. Now turn around, hands on your ears and whistle."

Cordelia rolled her eyes. "Whatever, I cannot believe you don't trust me. I know the password to your friend's room I don't see what difference it makes. Shouldn't you be more scared of the fact I know how to get into the bedroom of one of your _older_ friends than anything?" she said as she turned around and started to whistle.

"You won't get to do that if you don't know the House passwords now will you?" When he was sure she couldn't hear he muttered the password to the portrait and they both entered. "By the way," he said stopping her with one arm, "if I ever hear of such rumors I will personally string him up by his private parts and murder you before telling your mother." She laughed until she realised he wasn't joking and they walked straight past everyone with no interruptions to the room off the right of the Slytherin common room.

"Okay, sit." He went to lean against another chair opposite her.

"Yes Master!" She saluted and sat down smiling.

He ignored this and carried on. "Now a few weeks ago in December, just before Christmas break we were talking with a few of my other friends. Do you remember that?" She thought about it. It was the night of her birthday. She had had a small celebration with her house then left a little after curfew with Chayse to celebrate better with the Slytherins, honestly she didn't remember that much of it. Boy did they know how to party.

"Vaguely," she said slowly, trying hard to recall and smiled mischievously.

"Well, we were all talking and said something along the lines of us better off being brother and sister…" he started.

"Oh yeah, I remember. You know I think that's what I wished for," she scoffed. "Yeah, like that'll ever happen."

Chayse sat silent for a second. Cordelia noticed it instantly and sat to the edge of the sofa. "Chayse, what's wrong?"

He looked up from the floor. "Why couldn't it?"

"Why couldn't what?"

"Why couldn't it happen?"

"What? Us being…" She laughed. "Chayse, get real."

"I am being real, think about it. Every time you and I say something about our parents we find that they both tell us the same things. You quote your mum all the time and they're the exact same ones I get from my father. What do you say?"

"I want you to say everything you just said again. This time say it slowly and listen to yourself." He remained silent. "Chayse you cannot be serious, have you seen _who_ our parents are?" _Perhaps some reasoning will knock some sense into him._

"Yes I have, and I think they're perfect for each other," he said without batting an eyelid.

_Well, obviously not. _"They hate each other Chayse!" She resorted to yelling, it seemed to be the only thing that got through to him.

"That's a small technicality."

Cordelia sighed loudly. She rubbed her temples and moved them around to her eyes running her fingers along her eyelashes again. She spoke from behind her hands. "Even if I do agree to this, which I'm not saying that I will," she threw in for caution at the widened glowing of his eyes. "What on this Merlin forsaken Earth makes you think that you can get them together?"

"I have a plan." There was that smile again. Cordelia grimaced, when he made out plans they were often so ridiculously brilliant that they tended to work. And she always gave in and went along. She tried to figure out what it was that he had planned but she couldn't read it. She was instantly reminded of a quote her mother told her once.

"There's no art to find," she began.

"The mind's construction in the face," they both finished.

"Macbeth – Shakespeare." He nodded as if he approved.

"My mother's favourite," she said as he said, "My Father's favourite." He smiled again because he knew she was going to give in.

"This… this is so wrong in so many ways," she said lying back in the chair. "And this…is going to be a long day." She shook her head, not believing what she was getting herself into.


	2. No Magic in the Corridors

A/N: Okay thank you for reading the last chapter, I will tell you now that the Parent Trap was far from my mind when I wrote this. It, as far as I'm concerned, doesn't resemble the plot line at all. HOwever, to be safe, if it does resemble it at any point it was completely accidental/ coincidental. Well that aside, again thanks for reading it and the quote at the end of the chapter, "There's no art to find the mind's construction in the face," is by Shakespeare, in Macbeth. I hope you enjoy this new chapter and the rest of the story entirely. This story is by far my favourite and there is a sequel in the works, so hopefully when this is done you will have another one that is crosses fingers just as good. Enjoy!

Chapter two

**The Perfect Plan**

**_Breaking All the Rules: _No Magic in the Corridors.**

'_**Just kill all the birds with the stone and get it over with.'**_

Cordelia sighed softly as both her and Chayse made their way through the deserted corridors of the castle. It was well past curfew and no-one was in sight. About a month had past since Chayse had given her all the major pointers and she was still convinced that with what he had in mind, they would either be killed by either parent or expelled and then killed.

She was also still surprised that most of the school had come to know of their plan. The Ravenclaws had planned out the best of it, patching up the holes they found in Chayse's plan just to make sure that what they were doing didn't cross over to being illegal, as Chayse's plans often did. They said that they had conference meetings in their common room putting together ideas and then sent representatives to the lake at the end of each week. Every Friday two members of each house would meet after dinner to compare and contrast but Ravenclaw always had the better plans, they were the big thinkers behind it all.

The Hufflepuffs were all too glad to help because nobody usually included them in anything and the Gryffindors helped because they were all supportive of Cordelia and anything she did. Chayse had often ridiculed her about this.

'_What's the point of having friends if they don't tell you you're being stupid half the time?'_ he had said to her. Having thought about it she decided it was true. Whenever someone was to do something utterly against school rules they wouldn't bat an eyelid. There was only one person who had ever done it, and that was about twenty-one years ago; the days, "when Harry Potter ruled the school," as her mum always said.

The Slytherins on the other hand were another story. They helped because it was their duty, or so Chayse had said. Apparently they did what they were told and Chayse was the one dictating. He said it was his right and their privilege to do so. She couldn't stop laughing when he had told her this. He sounded like a war recruitment officer.

Now it was a month since this had started and they had broken almost every rule. Everything the Ravenclaws had said to do in order for their goal to come to them. They had fought, argued and hexed each other frequently in class. If anyone didn't know any better they would say they actually hated each other, as the teachers had always thought. Eventually if they broke enough of them the school would have to call in their parents. It was the fourth plan; the first, second, and third being complete disasters. But, so far, all they had gotten was a month's worth of detention and threats of suspension. Everything seemed like it was falling apart until they had come up with something they had never thought of before; using magic in the corridors after curfew in front of the large gargoyle to Dumbledore's office. Apparently no one was supposed to know where it was, so that was about three rules in one that they were breaking right there.

And here she was, Cordelia Weasley, sneaking around with Chayse Malfoy to carry out a plan that the whole school was in on.

_If mum finds out she'll skin me alive, but it can't be any worse than what Astie's father would do. Can it? _She winced.

"I cannot believe you talked me into this Astie," she said as she followed him down yet another identical corridor. "Are you sure you know where you're going?"

Chayse looked around at the mention of his name; she was the only one he had permitted to use it. No one else but his father called him that. His mother Pansy had named him Chayse, but his father always favoured Sebastian. So in short he was called Astie by none but the two people that actually mattered to him. "I talked you into this a month ago, if you wanted out you should have said so. Besides, if this won't work we'll have to quit because I'm not sure what else will. Even the Ravenclaws have given up hope and that's saying something."

They continued in silence, and then he stopped and ducked back behind the corner of the wall. She was about to ask what was wrong when he clamped his hand over her mouth silencing her with a finger on his. "Filch," he mouthed.

She nodded and they backed up slowly at the approaching shadow on the floor to flatten themselves in an incline of the wall, they sucked in a breath.

His shuffling feet paused at their corridor and Cordelia closed her eyes willing him away. Sure if they were caught they would be in trouble, but what good would it do except another four hours of detention?

"What do you smell my sweet?" she heard and practically ground herself into the wall. "Is there someone out there? Who is it my dear, who do you see?" His voice traveled deep into the drums of her ears.

_Please, please Merlin just make him go away. I just want my mum to be happy. Don't punish me for that. I mean well I promise,_ she prayed hoping that Merlin was listening.

"No? Well keep on my pet." Argus Filch turned toward the tower. "We'll have to search elsewhere. Come now, don't fret, I'm sure there's a rule breaker or two up in the Astronomy tower. Darn hormonal retards."

She heard a soft chuckle as Chayse's hand shook on her mouth. She removed it when she was sure Filch was far away. "What are you laughing at? We almost got caught and you're laughing?" she said in a harsh whisper.

"He is so desperate; everyone knows that he checks there every night. There's a ward there and he doesn't even know it." He would have laughed harder if he could.

"A ward? What kind of ward, who put it there?" she asked. _Who would have been clever enough to do that? Normally they only have one thing on their minds when they go there._

"My father put it there when he was here; it lasts for about five years. That's why I had to recharge it, as a favour to someone."

"Who?"

"Never mind, come on we have things to do." He grabbed her hand and pulled her toward the gargoyle passing the portrait that hung on the wall. It watched them as they passed it and stopped in front the entrance to Dumbledore's office. "We're here."

She looked up at it. "This leads to Dumbledore's office? How?" She looked around for a lever of any sort.

"Do you actually plan on going there now? I hope not. Besides you have to use the password."

"Do you know it?"

"No, but it's probably some kind of sweet or another. The man's obsessed with them. Come on let's get started."

She sighed heavily. "Fine."

They both drew out their wands. "Ready?" he asked. Cordelia nodded slightly. "Ok, remember no dark spells and mark my face at least once."

This took her by surprise and she stood up straight. "What!" she exclaimed quietly. "I'm not marking your face you'll hold it against me forever. I never agreed to that!"

"Stop acting childish. To our parents and our teachers we're supposed to hate each other, they've believed us up to now. If we do, you would do anything to embarrass me and I you. Now come on, hurt me."

"Astie, I don't know about this," she said unsurely.

He walked up to her. "Look, if not for me do it for your mother, or my father. I am sick and tired of seeing him with these women who only want what he has in Gringott's and treats me like dirt. I would do anything for him and he would do anything for me, I'm sure of it. Don't you want that for your mum?"

"Why would I?" He looked shocked and her look softened. "She already has it." He smiled and looked into her eyes, they were a crystal blue. It's strange how he never noticed how clear they were. "You really love your father don't you? Does he really go out that often with different women?"

"No, not really. The Newspapers declare it left, right and center but they're really just his friends. Besides, if he ever did want to have relations with any of them, he'd ask me. He respects me that way, because I never knew my mother. She died before I had a chance to know her. Her name was Pansy. I've seen photographs of her at least."

"Same here, with my father anyway. I never knew him because he died in the war a year after I was born." She looked down to the ground and welcomed his hug. "I don't have any photographs," she sobbed into his cloak.

"Don't worry, soon it'll be over and we'll have each other all the time, okay?" She sniffed on his shoulder and nodded, they broke apart not noticing that the person in the portrait had gone.

"Ok," she sniffed. She braced herself in her usual position for a duel. "I'm ready."

He nodded and stood his ground. "For father."

"For mum." Then it started.

The corridor lit itself with spells being cast and shielded, deflected and caught. They continued until a teacher came. When they heard yelling they both cast momentary glances in the direction of Snape and McGonagall before they looked at each other and smiled, cast the final spell they needed and fell to the ground.

"Desmayus!" they yelled.

"Oh good lord!" exclaimed McGonagall before rushing to the unconscious body of Cordelia Weasley.

"What on earth…" was all Snape managed when he looked over the unconscious body of Chayse Malfoy.

"Leave them," they heard. Both teachers turned to the voice of Albus Dumbledore as he stepped from the spiral staircase leading to his office. "I will call for someone to take them to the infirmary. Right now we have to discuss some things." He turned to go back upstairs.

"Albus, you cannot honestly suggest we just leave them here?" McGonagall managed.

"Yes I can, come along. I have already owled their parents, they should be here in the morning. Maybe then we can understand what exactly it is that has gotten into two of our best students."

"I knew they disliked each other, but this… this is ridiculous. It goes well beyond detention which they seem so fond of." Snape looked at both students lying on the ground.

"Yes, it does seem like they have been trying to break every rule we have. I for one would like to know why."

"Would we have to expel them?" McGonagall asked.

"It is up to you Minerva, Severus. But for now we shall have to wait and see what happens when their parents arrive. Perhaps they will have some insight to their behaviour." He turned once again to go to his office followed shortly by both Snape and McGonagall. "I wonder where they learned those spells."

"My class. I taught them defensive strategies by rendering the other unconscious for half an hour in order to give themselves a chance to run if the need came."

"You didn't?" McGonagall laughed.

"I did, it wasn't on the syllabus but I had a splitting headache and ten minutes of peace was all I needed. I even marked some seven-year assignments. It was pure heaven. You should try it."

P/A/N: Review as best you can. If you don't like it, say that too. Any person reading and clicking review is a good thing for me.


	3. The Letters Home

Chapter three

**The Perfect Plan**

**The Letters Home**

"Well there must be some reason that they needed to have a duel so urgently at this time of night," McGonagall said tiredly. She hadn't had much rest this month and these two in particular were the cause of it.

"Minerva, if not this time of night when nobody is around then when?" Snape turned with crossed arms on his chair looking at her.

"When we can stop them of course. This is ludicrous! I shall not sit here whilst my top student is lying on the stone ground downstairs!"

"You're not going on about that again are you? They're fine. If you ask me they asked for it. You don't see me complaining about it do you?"

"Well I wouldn't expect you to, Severus," she said indignantly as she looked away.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Enough!" Dumbledore scolded. "We have more pressing issues to deal with than this." There was a silence before both parties just sat there avoiding each other's gaze.

"I apologize to you, Severus. I was out of line."

"I too am sorry, Minerva. It shall not happen again."

There was a snickering coming from behind them on the wall. They all turned to watch one of the past headmasters going through all lengths to keep him from splitting his sides.

"Is there something you find funny?" Dumbledore asked. "Do you care to share?" he said sounding like a true professor. Good, he hadn't lost his touch.

Then the professor erupted in a truckload of laughter. "I am sorry Albus but you understand why this is so funny. You all have no idea what is going on when it's staring you right in the face."

"Oh? Care to enlighten us?" Snape's cool voice said.

"No, not really. I am having _too_ much fun." Then he erupted again.

"Oh forget it," McGonagall snapped. "All I need to know is will she be alright. Is her mother really coming here for her, to take her home?"

"With the potency of the spell, no I don't think that will be necessary. However, if you feel it best the girl go home then she will." McGonagall nodded with understanding.

"Well I'm not sending mine home." She turned to face Snape, shocked.

"Why not?" she asked harshly. "He's been hit by a breed of stunning spell and will probably not wake up until next week the rate they were going at. How could you not want to send him home?" she snapped in a harsh tone.

"As much as I enjoy harassing my students in class if they don't have an answer, I cannot have two of my best students gone, one is bad enough. I'd suffer beyond belief."

"Don't be selfish with this…"

_There they go again_, Dumbledore thought. He sat and listened to them bickering like children casting glances to the portrait on the wall that was trying to hide his laughter. Then something hit him. That was the same portrait that hung outside his office. It must know what was going on, that was probably why he was laughing. _So it's right under my nose._

He was missing something.

Two of the smartest students they had here since Hermione Granger were picking fights with each other more than usual. They broke school rules regularly, at the same time and always with each other. Something wasn't right.

The portrait had come to tell him that there were students fighting outside. That was how he had known they were there in the first place. That's how he knew most things in this castle. Why he didn't think of asking for more information was beyond him. But there must have been a reason they were doing this.

When he drifted out of his thoughts he realised the latter had stopped fighting and were looking at him as if waiting for a response.

"Sir, are you alright?" Snape asked.

"Yes, yes I am fine. I was just thinking that's all." He got up and began to pace, voicing his thoughts. "We are missing something." He turned to them.

"Like what, Dumbledore?" McGonagall asked.

"These are two bright students we have here. In the past month they have been involved in fights that have happened. I hope it is not just I who has realised that they are the _only_ fights we have had here in the past month. Every other house has stayed away from each other, without exception of the rest of the Slytherins and Gryffindors. Unlike other students who are at constant rivalry and only think of their opponent, these two have not let it affect their studies. Their marks stay high and have not dropped. The same goes for the rest of the school. It's as if they care for nothing else, like they just ignore each other."

"Isn't that a good thing, what does that prove? The only thing it has won them is detention." Snape sat back in his chair.

"Yes it has, but it does not seem to deter as it should," Dumbledore replied.

"Well that is true. Each time their punishment is dealt something else turns up that's even worse than before. Poppy has said that she will refuse to heal them anymore," McGonagall inserted.

"And now they're rendering each other unconscious, using magic in the corridors after curfew in front of my office. These are not your run of the mill delinquents. They are too smart for that."

"Don't you think you're giving them just a little too much credit? This kind of thinking is done by the Ravenclaws. No offense to Gryffindor, but this is not exactly their field of action. They much prefer to either ask or fight for it first," Snape said.

"No, I do not. They have goals Severus, and detention is obviously not one of them."

"So what are they after then?"

"I have no idea, but we shall have to wait for their parents to show up if we intend to find out."

---

There was that tapping again.

_What the hell is that?_ Ginny said in her dream. She had searched everywhere but couldn't find it. She was in Hogwarts again, on her way out of her dormitory and getting ready to sneak outside. She knew how late it was, but no Gryffindor is a true Gryffindor unless they've snuck out after curfew, right?

She climbed down the stairs towards the common room and noticed that Ron was still there with Hermione… was he reading?

_Now I know I'm dreaming,_ she thought.

Thankfully she had reached the exit before Ron had a moment of awareness and turned toward the stairs leading to the dormitories to see who was there.

Then she crept quietly out of the portrait hole.

The corridors seemed a lot larger at night. It must have been because in the daylight the corridors were filled with students filing to their classrooms or on their way to dinner.

_Hmm, dinner sounds good._ She turned left at the next corner after running down the moving staircases and entered the Great Hall. Every table was filled with food. It was everywhere. The Gryffindors table was littered with roast chicken and potatoes among others. Hufflepuff had the entrée whilst Ravenclaws occupied the appetizers. On Slytherins table stood dessert.

_Figures, even my dreams are screwed up._

Tap, Tap, Tap.

_What the hell was that?_

Then there was an almighty crash.

"Son of a bitch!" Ginny yelled as she woke up. She noted the darkness and felt for her wand. "Lumos." The ground was scattered with glass pieces of her ex-window pane. "Urgh!" she yelled as she threw her pillow at the cursed bird.

---

The pillow deftly avoided the bird, as it flew out the window, leaving the owl sitting happily and unfazed on the windowsill.

Draco turned over, vowing to clean up the mess in the morning. _Oh wait, it is morning,_ he thought to himself. He looked at the clock, it said twelve thirty._ Oh you are kidding me,_ he thought angrily.

The owl started to hoot at him. "Bloody school birds always getting into my damn sleep! What? What! What do you want from me now! What?" he yelled at the owl as it sat on his head, which rested under his other pillow.

He let out an infuriated whimper. "Go away, please, I want to get some sleep!" he implored. The owl didn't move. He shoved it off of his pillow and sat up. "Alright, I'm up, what do you want?" The owl stretched out its leg displaying the letter with the Hogwarts seal. He thought back to before he had given up his blissful sleep. He had actually noticed it was a school bird.

"Astie…" There must have been only one reason they would contact him this late at night. Quickly he undid the note and opened it, scanning it for any upsetting news, ignoring the bird as it flew off through the broken window. He paused at one word and read it properly this time from the beginning.

_Dear Mr. Malfoy,_

_We regret to inform you that your son has been involved in a duel of sorts with a young girl. He is now unconscious, as is she. In the space of one month he has been reprimanded a number of times on his incessant need to break almost all of our school rules to his liking. He has received a number of detentions and has been involved in more than one fight; he has even thrown hexes during class with no regard of respect to his teachers. In light of recent events we shall be awaiting your arrival tomorrow morning to discuss his punishment._

_Yours Sincerely,_

_Professor Albus Dumbledore_

_Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry_

Draco tore up the letter in a fit of his own rage.

_---_

Ginny watched the torn pieces float messily to the ground as she gritted her teeth in anger.

"I'll kill her." She turned back to her bed and went back to sleep vowing to clean up the mess in the morning. _Oh wait it is morning_, she thought bitterly, and closed her eyes trying to get back to sleep. Tomorrow she would have to get up early again to catch the Hogwarts train, despite it being a Friday.


	4. A Trip To Remember

Chapter four

**The Perfect Plan**

**A Trip to Remember**

She had revisited this platform more than enough when she had to see away her daughter, but she had never thought that she would have to go there during the school year. _What on earth was she thinking, getting into fights like that, and with a boy no less. She had better still be unconscious when I get there._ Ginny took an empty compartment and sat by the window waiting for eleven o'clock to come and the train to pull out of the station. When it finally pulled forward she began to relax a little, at least she would get a little sleep until she reached Hogwarts.

She watched the town speed away and the countryside emerge before falling asleep with her head placed near the bottom of the window. Once the train bucked and she flew awake but fell asleep again, this time lying down on the long seat of the compartment. She didn't notice when the compartment door slid open.

_Whoops, there's someone sleeping in here, _Draco thought as he closed the compartment door again to find somewhere else to go. He chose the compartment next door. Most of the train seemed to be empty as no one was on their way to Hogwarts at this time of year. He sat down at the window and watched the trees and the evergreen grass blur by the windowpane.

_Where did I go wrong,_ he thought as he sighed into the window where he rested his head. _Am I not a good father? Merlin knows I try, I've given him everything he's ever wanted without spoiling him rotten like I was and he still acts out like this. I've taught him patience, and to be virulent if need be, but beating up a girl? Where did he learn that? Certainly not me! I've thrown names into the fire but I've never resorted to that. Who is this girl anyway? What could she have possibly done to make him resort to this?_

He closed his eyes to rest some more after a sleepless night. _He had better still be unconscious when I get there or else I'll probably put him in a coma, _he thought angrily before falling asleep.

Cordelia's eyes flew open and they came face to face with the ceiling above. She had seen that ceiling before. It had to be the infirmary; this place had become her home away from home… away from home. She had a pain in her back as she tried to sit up. When she finally managed she turned to see Chayse sitting up already watching her. She winced as her neck adjusted to the pain of stiffness.

"Don't worry; it's a natural side effect. It goes away after a while."

"Mmm," she moaned groggily. "I feel like I've gone two hundred rounds with a Hippogriff."

Chayse smiled. "Well it's no worse than what is about to happen." He waited for her reaction to his words. "I woke up some time early this morning and I overheard them talking, McGonagall, Snape and Dumbledore."

Cordelia sat up even more, her eyes wide ignoring the pain. "Well? What did they say?" she asked.

"Our parents sent back notes. They're coming."

Cordelia looked down at the bed sheets trying to decide whether that was a good thing or a bad thing. "I know what you're thinking. I was thinking it too when I heard it, it's a good thing." He gave her a consoling look.

She looked at him feeling instantly comforted. "But you know what this means now don't you," he added. "We'll have to actually tell them that we're friends or that we're enemies, whichever you want I don't mind." His head lowered a little, she wondered if he was crying. Any other person who came in now would think it.

She knew better. Without thinking, she gently pushed herself off the bed onto her feet and covered the three step distance with surprising ease to sit on his bed. "I have come this far as your friend Astie, don't you dare start pushing me away now. If we are going to do this, from now on we are telling the truth or else it will become ten times harder, especially for what we have planned. Listen to me, to pull this off we will need them to spend time together. If we are playing the roles of enemies, how will that become a possibility?" He didn't look hopeful at this. "Plus, I've always wanted to see your home and Easter holiday is coming up, if I don't like you where will I stay? Brother." She smiled when he looked up at her and grinned. He grabbed hold of her and hugged her. She winced slightly but ignored the pain anyway. "I've always wanted to be an older sister anyway." They laughed.

Hearing a door open behind them, they rushed apart and Cordelia made her way back to her bed. Both lay still and closed their eyes.

Dumbledore walked in for the second time after witnessing what he thought to be two students hugging, the same two students who were hexing and dueling last night. _What on Earth?_ They had been talking about something being planned but he couldn't hear it very well, though he knew he distinctly heard one say brother. What were they up to?

"Poppy? You wouldn't happen to know if our two young duelers are awake would you? I have their parents here waiting for them."

_Oh crap,_ they both thought. Grimacing inwardly, they hoped it didn't show.

"I'm not sure Dumbledore, I'll have to check." She came out of her office to look at them both, Cordelia had returned to her bed and both had their eyes closed. She came back clicking her tongue. "Well they're both awake," she said quietly. "But it seems that they do not want to face their parents right now."

Dumbledore smiled at her then looked over at the two beds side by side. He shook his head. C_riminal masterminds at work,_ he thought.

Ginny sat in Dumbledore's office looking around in every direction; every direction except for the one in Draco Malfoy's half of the room.

She had first encountered him when she had gotten off the train and had made every effort to ignore him completely. However, everyone else around them felt that he was too far away and kept pushing them together. When they had gotten off the train every carriage was gone except for one, so they had shared it. When they had entered the castle together students were walking all over the place giving them strange looks as they walked to lunch. When she had finally asked him what he was doing there he had told her that he was just here on business and that it was none of hers. Dumbledore had told them to stay together so they had walked around and encountered groups of children who had enough courage to ask them who they were; namely some Slytherins.

When he had answered she was sure that she saw looks of awe in their faces before they finally closed their mouths and asked, "Y-your Chayse's Father?" She almost burst out laughing at their looks.

It wasn't until they turned to her that she stopped abruptly. "So you must be Cordy's mum." _Cordy?_ She looked at them strangely and almost froze when they smiled at her. She turned to Draco and she could see the same reaction in his face. "It's a pleasure to meet you ma'am," one of the boys said. Her heart almost stopped beating. _They_ knew her daughter? The better question however was, _they_ knew her?

_She has a daughter? How was I not aware of this, why didn't Chayse tell me?_ Draco thought.

She gave a meek, "Yes, I am." Trying to keep all composure, but nothing could have prepared them for what happened next. The boy kissed her hand and the rest of them bowed, whilst the girl they were with curtsied, and then they walked off in the most polite way possible.

Both Ginny and Draco stood watching them as they turned the corner for lunch in the Great Hall. Then, silently, they walked to Dumbledore's Gargoyle glancing back every few steps not believing what took place. They waited there until he came to say the password and led them inside. It was there that he had left them alone again to check on the children.

When Dumbledore came back Ginny looked behind her and was disappointed that her child was not with him. Draco's face said the same. Instead he returned with two teachers, Snape and McGonagall.

"I'm sure you know why you are both here."

One look to both teachers and they both had comprehending looks on their faces. Draco went into his jacket pocket as Ginny felt in her pocket and withdrew a piece of parchment that Dumbledore recognized as his letters to them. They both nodded putting the letters on the table, ignoring each other completely.

Snape and McGonagall stood behind each of their corresponding ex-house members. Dumbledore continued, "Good, well as you can both imagine, this is quite serious now. I was just wondering, before we begin, if any of you know why your children feel the need to lash out this way."

Both shook their heads. In a way they felt like they were still at school being interrogated for something.

"Okay then, where shall I begin? In the past month both of your children seem to be stirring up a well-known rivalry again between your previous houses. Of course we have also noted the name in which they were born, which is why I have left some of this upon that reason and the rest upon the latter, though I had hoped that had dissolved by now." Ginny and Draco chanced a glance at each other, it wasn't resentment but they had both been present in the war and would never forget how all houses had united as one. It was the only way to survive and they all knew it. They returned their gaze to Dumbledore. "One thing I must tell you is that we have not had trouble in this school since those days long in the past. It has only been recently that these events started to happen and the rest of them seem to be oblivious."

"The rest of them?" They both asked. Ginny stopped and Draco continued. "What do you mean the rest of them, who?"

"Why, the rest of the school. They have neither talked to each other in classes, nor have they acknowledged each other in passing in the corridors."

"That's strange," Ginny said quietly.

"Very. We have no idea how to get to the bottom of this. We were hoping that one of you would have an insight."

"Us?" Ginny said.

"How would I have any idea why her daughter attacked my son?" Draco asked him.

Ginny turned on him angrily. "_My_ daughter, excuse me have you even considered the fact that your son could be the one instigating these fights?"

"Both of you calm down. It seems the blame is shared. Both of your children have been starting these squabbles. The question that remains is why."

"What do you mean, isn't it a little obvious," he said pointing to Ginny.

Ginny returned his gesture. "Yes, I mean look at what he belongs to."

"Shut your mouth Weasley." His tone matched the look in his eyes only barely.

Ginny felt the heat rising from the pit of her stomach. If she wasn't brought up with manners she could have spat on him. "Make me," she said in a low tone. It was still clear that she was furious.

"Stop this!" the Headmaster scolded. They both jumped and fell into silence, looking immediately to the ground. He was about to continue when there was a knock on his door. "Who is it?" he said simmering down

The door opened ajar and Madame Pomfrey's head popped around it. "Can I come in?" she asked.

"Yes, of course Poppy, come in." He waved his hand for her to enter.

"If you don't mind I have something for you." She stepped inside and turned towards the door. She opened it a little more and waved hurriedly for whatever it was outside to come in. When there wasn't anything there Dumbledore looked at her expectantly.

Both Ginny and Draco turned around to face the door wondering what it was that was taking so long. When they did they saw the school nurse waving at something to come in. It was a few more seconds before two sets of feet walked in. Their shoes covered with robes, it was still obvious one was a boy and the other a girl. As their eyes continued upwards the uniforms got dustier and the Slytherin and Gryffindor crest did not sparkle as much as they had when the two had left home for school.

It was only when they reached the faces of their children did they see the true nature of their injuries. All black eyes and bruised. Draco gasped at the marks on his sons face, as did Ginny to her daughter's.

"Hello mum."

"Good morning father."


	5. The Truth with excuses

Chapter five

**The Perfect Plan**

**The Truth with Excuses**

"Perhaps you would both like to take seat," the head master said watching them carefully. They were standing very close to each other and he suspected that behind the folds of their robes that they were indeed holding hands. He smiled a little as they edged their way forward and conjured two chairs for them to sit down on opposite sides next to their parents.

As soon as they sat down, both Ginny and Draco examined the wounds on their faces.

"Why haven't they been healed?" Ginny said with warning in her voice.

A voice spoke up from behind them, "It is a part of their punishment, my supplies have run down due to their lack of accordance to the school rules and I have so refused to heal them any longer, they shall have to heal the muggle way."

"What on earth could have possessed you to do this? Have I not taught you, if anything, _common_ decency?" he said looking at Ginny as he said this.

She narrowed her eyes at him but chose to ignore his statement and turned away to face the headmaster. "Will I at least be able to take her home?"

"If you wish you can but it is up to her head of year." Ginny turned around to face Professor McGonagall. "Professor?" he said.

"Well they seem to be further enough in their studies to leave." Ginny was sure she felt Cordelia tense. "However, as you all know the end of the school year is almost upon us and exams will soon start, so I would rather they stay. Besides, Easter holidays are next week so they might as well finish the term." Both students sighed. They were glad to not have to go home with their parents.

"Don't think you're off the hook Chayse, you still have a lot of explaining to do."

"Indeed, and I am sure that we could start now. What do you say, Mr. Malfoy?" Dumbledore's eyes bored into Chayse.

Chayse looked up and then chanced a glance at Cordelia. She too had done the same and smiled a brief smile at him. "Well… Sir, Father. I – we – um."

"We're friends," Cordelia cut in.

"What?" Ginny said astonished.

"Friends mum, Astie and I, we have been since we started school four years ago."

Draco noted the use of his son's nickname. He knew that he only ever allowed people he cared for to use it so she must be close to him. He clicked his tongue in thought, as much as he didn't exactly care for his son's company he had to trust his judgement. "Why didn't you tell me?" he said calmly.

Chayse looked at his father and observed the tone of his voice so he relaxed a little. "Father, I don't know if you've noticed but you kind of – hate her mother," he said quietly so that Ginny couldn't hear.

Draco laughed quietly to himself despite the situation. "So what, you decide to break every rule in the school in order to get me here, and then break it to me when I'm not in the most sedate of moods? Son, you didn't think of this yourself did you, because I am sure I drilled some sense into that mind of yours."

"No, the school helped."

"All of them?" Chayse turned to Professor Snape who had been silent and observing throughout the best of the conversation.

"Yes sir. But we told them not to talk until it was necessary," Cordelia finished.

"So that's why there hasn't been any communication between the houses, because you told them so?" Dumbledore asked truly amazed by what he was hearing.

"Yes Sir," both of them said.

"Besides the reps, there was no need to speak to each other, Sir," Cordelia finished.

"Reps?" Snape asked.

"Representatives Sir, from each house," Chayse finished.

Snape was about to comment when he was cut off by Dumbledore's laughing. "I can't believe this. To think that professors throughout the age of this school have tried to stop the interhouse rivalries with no success, then comes along two teenage students who have the power to stop them from talking altogether. It's unbelievable. How did you do it?"

Both Chayse and Cordelia looked at each other confused. _How did they do it?_ That was an odd question to ask. Cordelia just asked for them to keep themselves from spreading it more than they had to and Chayse – well, he did what he had to. The school in itself had decided to just stop talking; they had _nothing_ to do with that.

"How could the teachers not know of this, that there was a friendship between two houses? Especially these houses, surely you must have picked up on something?" Ginny said frustrated.

"No we hadn't, to us it just seemed like any other Gryffindor/ Slytherin relationship. They barely talked or looked at each other in class or spoke outside of class as far as we could see. Any person in this school who knew about it either refused to let on or just plainly chose to ignore them," Snape said.

Cordelia and Chayse smiled and had to fight the urge to chuckle, both had lowered their heads to shield their laughter. Sure everyone knew, but they hardly chose to ignore their friendship. It was more or less the other way around; their friendship chose to ignore everyone else. As for the not talking part, outside of lessons they talked all the time. It was just when a teacher came along that it turned into a pre-meditated insult. All in all it was the scam of the century and they had fooled every teacher for four years straight. The pride could not be pushed away from their bruised faces as they struggled to keep their heads down and out of sight.

_Damn we're good._

Ginny rose and stepped away from her chair. Cordelia's face, now wiped clean from the pride she was previously showing, was now looking up at her mother. "I wish to talk to my daughter alone please, if you'll excuse us."

"Yes me too – with my son of course."

"Yes of course you would, go ahead." The teachers, nurse and the headmaster left the room. Cordelia gingerly got up and almost fell had Chayse not caught her. They both laughed at her clumsiness but quieted down when they spotted their parents watching them.

"Chayse come on let's go," Draco said leaving the women to have the room. When they reached outside he turned to his son and watched him with curiosity. Chayse waited patiently for his father's outburst. As much as Draco had wanted to shout at his son though, now was neither the time nor place to do so. Besides he too had made an error in judgement when he had chosen friends and such, so he could not lecture him now, not on this. It was way too hypocritical and he did not want to put himself into that situation. "Curarte," he said pressing his wand against his son's wounded face. He watched it heal as he spoke to him. "You should have told me, son," he said finally.

Chayse relaxed a little as he watched his father slide to the floor on the wall he was leaning on. There was a dreamlike look on his face as if he were far away. He had never seen his father look like this before. He joined him as he sat down on the ground. Draco seemed to feel at home here and frankly Chayse liked this side of his father. He was always like this but when he got angry it was time to run for cover. Honestly, he was sure this side of him wouldn't come out for another few weeks.

"What would you have told me to do, if I had told you about her, what advice would you have given me?" he said ignoring the arguing that was continuing on the other side of the door.

Draco chuckled to himself because he could hear it too. "I would have said 'murder her and bury her ashes in the forbidden forest,' believe me it would solve all of your problems in the future." They both laughed at this. Draco looked to the floor.

"Exactly, there would have been no room for any kind of friendship at all. You know that if we had told any of you that we would never have seen each other again. Face it."

---

"No, you wouldn't have. Frankly I would have pulled you from school and sent you somewhere else!"

"You see mum, you're being so unreasonable! You don't know Astie like I do, so you couldn't possibly understand. He's-."

"Like another part of you, an extension of your body that you couldn't possibly live without. You feel like you can't breathe with the very thought that he could be leaving you. And if he does you just don't think you can survive." She watched her mother as she said her piece. How could she possibly have known that? She shrugged it off, her mum read too many love novels. She was always buried in them. "Well Cordelia, thinking is a dangerous pastime and I most certainly cannot stop you from this I know it, believe me I do, but you should have told me. You should not have lied to me like that for _four_ years. It makes me wonder what else you've hidden from me."

"Nothing, I know it was wrong and I'm sorry but you would never have let me see him mum."

Ginny eyed her daughter suspiciously when a thought suddenly entered her head. Just the thought of it made her face cringe with horror. "Cordelia, you haven't got – you know, _feelings_ for this boy have you. He's not your boyfriend is he?" There was perhaps a little too much concern in her voice but Cordelia hardly noticed it. Instead she just contorted her face in horror.

---

"Father, no! She is definitely not nor will she ever be my girlfriend. Eew, she's my best friend I could never do that to her."

"Do what to her?" he asked with interest.

"Never mind." Draco dropped it and they sat in silence for a while. "Well now that you know, what do you think?" he asked curiously.

"I still think you've lost your mind but I can accept it. She's pureblooded right?" He noted his son's facial reaction. "Just incase that's all," he said raising his arms in defeat. "But she is right?"

Chayse sighed. "As far as I know yes, her father died in the war but her mother told her he was a pureblooded wizard."

"Ok then, then I can accept her." Once again he noted his son's facial expression. "Not that I wouldn't have accepted her otherwise. Don't push your luck though."

Chayse sighed. "Fine, seeing as you have opened your arms to her, I've invited her for the Easter holiday to stay with us. She said she was a little nervous meeting you so I said her mother could come too."

---

"No," Ginny said pointedly.

"What? But you just said that you accepted him."

"I also said don't push your luck." She got up from the chair.

"Mum, he's my best friend, at least let me stay for a weekend."

"Fine, but I'm not going." She walked toward the door. "I refuse to stay in that house for whatever reason you can muster. Besides I really don't think his father would want me there."

"Then do it for me. Mother, please?" Ginny sighed as she held her hand over the door handle. Cordelia only ever used 'mother' when she really wanted something. This must mean a lot to her that she and Draco get along, at least when she and Chayse were in the room.

"Fine," she said opening the door unaware that someone outside was opening it too.

"But don't expect me to like it," both parents said as the doors opened. They looked at each other and then at each other's children both of whom had wide grins on their faces.


	6. Mission: Very Possible

Chapter Six

The Perfect Plan

**Mission: Very Possible**

Ginny sat at Hogsmeade Station waiting for the train. The sun was out full force but a crisp wind still blew around her making her nose go red. She rubbed it to get some heat back into it but to no avail, each time her hand went away it froze up again. Spring was well on the way and blossoms filled the trees lining the station with bright pinks and satin blues. It was so beautiful.

"So, she got you huh?" Ginny turned to see Malfoy sitting down next to her, she hadn't even notice him arrive, even though they were in the same carriage that brought them there.

"Pardon?" she said as he made himself comfortable.

"What did she use against you? My son used: 'Dad she means a lot to me please just let them stay.' What did yours use?"

Ginny chuckled a little. "Mother," she said softly.

"Beg your pardon?"

"She used: 'Mother, please.'"

"Hmm, I guessed that. They only ever call you by a different name when they want something don't they?"

"And they never forget to say please." They both laughed quietly.

"So I guess I have to make space for two more then," he said louder looking out onto the tracks.

"I'm sure you'll find somewhere Malfoy, that house is rather large."

He turned his head. "House, what do you mean?"

"Your house Malfoy, I'm sure that's where we'll be staying."

"Um, no it's not." She turned to him confused. "Well you can stay there, but we won't be there."

"I don't quite follow," she said shaking her head.

"It's Easter, we go to a cabin in the mountains at Easter. We always have, surely he would have told her that if they're that close."

"No," Ginny said with an understanding voice. "He would have told her, she just would not have told me. She knows I don't like those things."

"Cabins? They're perfectly harmless."

"I know they are Malfoy, but I just don't ever want to go in one of those things again. They don't serve too well with my memories if you know what I mean."

He was about to return when he understood completely. "Well then I'm sure you won't be too happy when I tell you it's the same one."

She turned angrily. "What!" she almost yelled had it not been for the few others at the station.

---

"Well that didn't go so badly did it?" Cordelia said as Chayse walked her back to her portrait hole.

"No, it could have been worse. At least they didn't start hexing each other when they first met, whenever that was."

"I think they came together on the train, they would have had to. I still don't understand how they arrived in one piece because my mother is hell when she's angry."

"Don't get me started on my Father. Pumpernickel." The portrait door swung open and they went inside. Everyone else was still at lessons so there wasn't anyone in the common room. "This place is way too red for my liking. You people need to co-ordinate some colours in here, it's almost blinding. No wonder you're always bumping into things."

Cordelia laughed and sat down on one of the soft chairs. Chayse joined her by the fireplace. "Do you think your Dad is really okay with this?" she said. "I mean if it's too much of an inconvenience then we don't have to come, where are these mountains anyway?" She ran her fingers along her eyelashes again.

"You know, I'm surprised your eyelashes haven't fallen off the rate you're going at." She lowered her hands.

"I'm sorry but it's my dad's fault. My mum told me that he always used to do it when he was nervous and these past few weeks that's all I've been feeling so it's turned into a habit now. I guess in a way it's something I have of his and I'm glad that it shows when we have the same feelings. It's like he's here, you know?" She looked at him. "You probably think that's stupid."

"No I don't, I think you should be proud. We both have our own memorabilia, I have my mother's photographs and you have your father's strange quirks." They both laughed. "Anyway, to answer your question the cabin is in France. It's always cold and the water is freezing unless you heat it up manually or by magic – whatever. The nearest town is miles away and they're all muggle so you can't apparate anywhere. Plus there must be about tens of thousands of animals up there that can rip you apart-."

---

"- so I wouldn't even be able to go out at night for a walk if I wanted to. Why on earth would I want to go to a place like that? I might a well go to prison, I'd have much more fun," Ginny concluded.

"Then why did you agree to go?" Draco questioned. "If you hate it so much, give me one reason why you should swallow your pride and tolerate it." He sat back waiting for her answer.

Ginny simmered down a little. She knew what he was doing. It was probably what he had done to himself as they were traveling back down to the station. "My daughter," she said with a small smile.

"Correct. My son and your daughter have chosen to become friends so we have to tolerate it. We can be civil, Weasley, I know we can because we have done it before. As for the cabin thing, the animals, like I said before all those years ago when we were all there, cannot see the cabin and nor can anyone else so get over it. The fates are against us on this one and they're taking our children for the ride, so we have to grit our teeth and bare it for their sakes. Do we have a deal?" He held out his hand.

She stared at it for a while contemplating her options. In the end she shook it. "Fine, but if I get mauled by a bear and die you're the first one I'm coming after."

He smiled. "And I shall willingly fight you away with a banishing spell if you do." He put his hands back in his pockets.

She laughed. "No banishing spell can waver my haunting skills my friend."

"Really, they've worked before." He smiled to the side of his mouth.

"What was that?" she asked smiling more than he was.

"Nothing."

"I thought so." She yawned into her hands.

"Tired?" he said noticing her at the corner of his eye.

"A little, I didn't get much sleep last night."

"What were you doing?"

"Worrying over my daughter and whether or not she had been killed by your son. I swore that when I came here I'd give a solid talking to her. As you can see it must not have worked because now I'm going on a holiday to France with her, her best friend and his father. I'm not quite sure who's the elder here, her or me. Strange, no?" She yawned again.

"No, not strange. I almost killed a school bird when it attacked me from my sleep last night," he laughed.

"The one delivering mine almost got smacked by a pillow."

"And it broke my damn window," they both said. They looked at each other and smiled turning away.

"Old habits never die, isn't that what they say?"

"I guess so." This time it was Draco who yawned widely into his palm. "Oh and what were you doing last night, or should I say whom?"

"Hey watch your mouth, Weasley. I don't get involved with anyone other than my wife. My son has made me incapable of it unless he approves first. I have sworn to him that I would abide by this one rule if no other. He says it's a favour to him and to me apparently."

"Really? That's noble of you considering who you are."

"And who exactly am I, Weasley?"

"If I have to tell you then you don't need to know." She yawned again and closed her eyes to the sky. The wind still nipped at her nose and she buried her head into her scarf a little more, it was always chilly in April up in the North and she was right to have brought some kind of warm clothing when she traveled.

They sat at the station in silence for about a half hour and more people from the village were coming into the station now. Draco turned to Ginny about to ask her why she thought they were all going into London but stopped when he realised she was asleep. He hadn't even noticed that her head had tilted in his direction and was resting on his shoulder. It must have been the coat he was wearing. He always knew that at this time of year it got cold despite summer being around the corner. Some people had started looking at them and he had wondered why. It had become annoying as much as he had tried to ignore it so had turned to ask his question and there she was, peacefully dreaming. It was then that he understood why they were looking at him. To the untrained eye, all who didn't know who they were would have thought they were – a couple. That explained the looks on their faces, the smiles and the 'awws' that he could read on their lips when they prodded their partners and pointed in his direction.

Then the train came, he turned again to Ginny and tried to wake her but she wouldn't. She was a heavy sleeper unlike himself but he knew she would have to wake up if they were ever to get a good seat.

---

"What do you think they're doing now?"

"Well if they're not killing each other then they're probably on their way home, my mum loves traveling on that train she said it was always -."

"The best part? Yeah my Father says that too. That's one of the reasons he didn't apparate or he would have been here sooner. Thank Merlin or they wouldn't have met."

They sat in silence staring into the fire. "So what now? Do we have a plan for when we get there or what?"

"It looks like we need another meeting at the lake."

"Okay I'm up for a walk, shall we send out owls to each house?"

"Sure, let's go before dinner because then we could meet straight after." They both ran outside and made their way to the owlery. There, they chose one bird to send to the Ravenclaw table. The notes always said the same thing.

_**Lake: After Dinner, Bring the rest.**_

They folded it and sent it off. It was well past six by now so it was liable to reach them on time. They both watched the owl fly away and round the castle wall toward the Great Hall where dinner would be.

"I have to get back to my dorm and change. I've been wearing these since yesterday." He demonstrated the state of his clothes.

"Mmm, me too. I'll see you later okay?" she said as she turned and walked through the door.

"Fine." He heard her footsteps die away as she ran down the stairs.

---

In the Great hall the students filed in for Dinner. Most of the teachers sat at the head table eating and surveying the students when an owl came in. It would have been just another mail for a student if Dumbledore hadn't noticed that it was a school bird. He looked to his right at Snape and McGonagall. They too had paused eating and were watching the bird as it flew and landed in front of a Fourth Year Ravenclaw.

It was a chain of events then.

The Ravenclaw boy turned away from the head table and passed the note from the bird's leg along to stop at a girl in the sixth year. She, in turn, put the note next to some Chicken sandwiches she had put on her plate and turned around to pass it to another house. The Hufflepuff it was passed to told the person next to him and placed the note into a book, which he rose with and walked to the Gryffindor table. He put the book down in front of Mara Weasley, Cordelia's cousin. She took the book and opened it, read the note and snuck it behind her to the Slytherin table. The note was then read and destroyed.

This turn of events had the three teachers staring in awe, the efficiency of one note to be passed throughout a school without even the slightest signal of alarm or trace that it existed. It was genius. They all looked at each other and back at the student body. Whatever it was that those two were planning, it was more serious than they thought.


	7. Rude Awakenings

Chapter Seven

The Perfect Plan

**Rude Awakenings**

"Okay so what do we have to work with?" Cordelia asked.

The sun had long gone down and the night sky was radiant and scattered with stars, she had zoned out a little after the first half an hour because they were going in circles and always ending in the same place they started off.

"Well we need to look at what they have in common," said Rachel Edwards. Cordelia looked at her; she was a sixth year Hufflepuff and next to her was the other half of her house's representatives, Edward Williamson. He was in the fifth year. They had brought what all Hufflepuffs were famous for, the talent to make people feel special.

"Well, right now the major thing that they have in common is you two." Everyone turned to Chayse and Cordelia. They both looked at the speaker, Jacques Marseilles. He was one of the pair of Ravenclaw representatives who sat next to Samantha Palmer, a fourth year in his house. They had come up with the idea of magic after hours in the corridors.

"I think we established that about an hour ago Marseilles. What we need to do is find a way to use it for what we want." Cordelia turned to Benjamin Zambini, he was Chayse's other half for Reps. He and Chayse were second cousins seeing that their father's were cousins too. He also had a talent for making people come out with the best ideas by just vaguely stating them first. He watched and waited for someone to pick up on his hint.

"I know!" They all turned to Mara Weasley. Her cheeks went pink at the attention she got from her remark. "Fake an accident!" she continued anyway.

"What?" Chayse asked.

"We – my brother's and I do it all the time when mum and dad fight! It's brilliant. Some bruising charms and a cut here and there and they both forget what they were fighting about and unite to look after you. It's flawless and works every time." They all looked thoughtful.

"Not exactly what I was aiming for but it'll do," Zambini mumbled to himself.

The rest of them ignored him and continued where Mara left off. "Ok, we can work on that. Of course there will be a lot more to work with seeing as you'd be in a forest. There should be animals there… Oh! I have a few spells for making animal noises that can make it seem like they're in the vicinity," Palmer said in an excited way.

"Yes and I have tons of ways to create marks on skin," Mara inserted.

"I come from France so I suppose I could inform you on what animals you could find there, if I've left any out there should be some books in the library about them somewhere," Jacques said.

"France?" said Edward. It was the first time he had spoken since he got there. "Oh I have family there that can help you. They live near where you're going so if you ever need help they would be ever so helpful." They all looked at him surprised.

"Okay then," Chayse rounded up. "We can meet a few days from now." He began listing off on his fingers. "I expect spells, chants, charms and whatever else ready for the end of the week in a listed form so it's easy to understand. None of this explanation crap alright? Do your research and then tell me. If there are potions I don't want them to take more than two days to prepare and make sure that they come with detailed ingredients and instructions. Williamson?" Edward raised his head from taking down notes.

"Yes?" he answered.

"I want that address or at least a detailed map on how to get to your relatives homes. If you can't draw one buy one, this weekend is a Hogsmeade weekend. These are people's lives that we are dealing with okay so we do not want to mess it up too badly. Does anyone have any questions?" He finished by standing up and helping Cordelia to stand with him.

They were all silent. "Good, Zambini take Weasley back to her common room and stay away from that damn cat if you can." Zambini nodded helping Mara up and dusting himself off. "Everyone else, I expect to see you here the same time on Wednesday of next week which is your deadline. If there are any unexpected changes or if something happens contact each other in the usual way. Do we all understand?" They all nodded. After a moments silence they turned and began walking back to the castle.

When they were a little way off Chayse and Cordelia started walking slowly. "So, soon to be sister, what do you think, are you up for it?"

"Chayse," she began, "I wouldn't be here if I wasn't. Plus after a demonstration of how you can take control of a situation like this I am sure that I am in good hands." They both laughed.

They continued walking in silence and walked into the castle through the large Doors and continued along the corridors. "Well thank Merlin tomorrow is Saturday, I don't think I can bare another day of school."

"Oh yes it's a Hogsmeade weekend. I don't think I'll go though my bed is calling me."

"Don't get me started mine's beginning to think I'm sleeping around," she laughed a little as they continued along at snails pace turning corners and not really watching where they were going.

"Salazar," Chayse yawned.

"I beg your pardon?" the portrait said.

"I said 'Salazar.'"

"Oh." The portrait swung open and they both walked inside completely wiped out.

A slight chill blew in from an open window but a small uttered spell and the fire roared as they sat down in front of it on one of the large sofas in the common room.

Cordelia looked into the fire and watched them dancing in bright yellows and oranges. Her head was falling and the second it did she jerked it up again a little more awake than before. She looked around her at the darkness of the room. Though it was dark, she could still see the greens and blacks that decorated the walls and the floor.

"Where am I?" she asked.

"In my common room," Chayse spoke through closed eyes.

"How did I get here?" She yawned into her palm.

"You walked – now go to sleep because you're keeping me up."

---

Ginny awoke with a jerk and her eyes flew wide meeting an unfamiliar site. _ Soft material – what the hell?_ She distinctly remembered sitting at the train station next to – _Malfoy, what did he do to me, where am I?_ She turned around to a dark space and felt for her wand.

"Lumos." The compartment filled with light and her eyes caught site of blonde hair that looked orange from the way it reflected.

His eyes squinted from the sudden increase of light and he turned to look at her. "Oh you're awake, finally. I thought that I'd have to sit through this journey talking to myself." He swayed from left to right with the movements of the train.

Ginny sat up and rubbed her eyes from sleep. "Have we not reached yet then?"

"Oh yes, about a half hour ago. But you didn't wake up and I didn't know where you lived so I had to apparate with you unto another train and I'm taking you to my house. You can floo from there," he answered in a sarcastic tone.

Ginny returned his tone with a look to match it. "Very funny Malfoy but all you had to say was no." He looked out the window with a smile. "What time is it?"

"I don't know I haven't got a watch on me."

She sighed and looked out of the window. The trees and countryside started to slow down until they came to a stop. They had reached a train station called_ Rivendell? I didn't know that there were stops in-between._

She was even more confused when Malfoy got up. "Where are you going?"

"Home, I told you this already Weasley honestly you should invest in a hearing charm." He stopped at the compartment door and turned to her. "Well are you coming?"

"I didn't think you were serious! Coming where?"

"To floo home Weasley. I am certainly not going to allow you to stay on this train considering where it's going."

"Where is it going?"

"Somewhere you really don't want to be, are you coming or not?" Reluctantly Ginny got up and followed him outside.

The rain had started to fall so they had to wait for it to stop at the station. During this time Ginny took in her surroundings with a wince. There was an old man staring at her from a station bench. He looked homeless from the way his clothes were torn and the scornful look on his face.

Draco turned and looked at her. "Believe me its better looking in the day. Strange people come out at night so you'll have to excuse it right now. They do make the place look bad. Ignore them if you can they tend not to bother you that way."

Ginny nodded quickly and turned away from the old man whose eyes still bore through her.

She shivered. "Do you want to brave the rain because I don't think you care too much for that man's staring, do you?"

Ginny turned again to the man, he was walking closer. Ginny tensed and turned quickly to Malfoy nodding. He smiled and grabbed her hand pulling her closer. "Don't look at them, it only encourages them," he whispered in her ear and pulled her out into the rain.

They ran through the market place and past a few small shops and businesses. They were soaking wet by the time they turned the corner into the park. The rain had died down so they slowed down a little and strolled through. Small lamps lit the pathway to the gates and the ground shimmered reflecting the light from above. Ginny breathed in the clean crisp night air. She looked ahead to the other side and saw the exit , which they walked through with ease slipping through the large gates out onto the road that they had to cross. As she looked around she could tell that this place was probably quite nice in the daylight. . She hadn't even notice when Malfoy had stopped on the other side of the road.

She caught her bearings after she almost walked into him and saw that he was getting out his keys to open a gate and having some trouble.

She wondered if there were muggles around and decided not to risk it, so she transfigured her wand into a torch. "Lumos," she said lighting it.

He turned to her. "Thank you," he said finding the key and opening the gate.

"Why didn't you just use an unlocking charm?" she asked as he locked it again from the inside.

"It's protected from magic so not even intruders, or I, can use it to get in. Plus there's a ward a few hundred feet high above it so they'll have to fly pretty high to get around it. These keys are unique to the lock so if they are replicated they still won't open it."

"Hmm, clever." She followed him up the wide pathway to his house ending the spell on her wand. They passed the garages and a small hut to enter around the back.

"Why are we entering from here?" she whispered. She didn't know why she was whispering, it just seemed appropriate. It was like they were sneaking into the house.

"Because there is a fireplace in the kitchen, you can floo from there," he whispered back.

"So why are we whispering?" she asked him.

"Because I have a -."

"Curfew," they heard. They both spun around to come into contact with a broad shouldered man, maybe it was the darkness but he looked utterly frightening to Ginny. "Mr. Malfoy, Sir, you were supposed to be home two hours ago. What are you doing home so late in this town? We all agreed that we would come home early on the weekends and – who are you?" he said suddenly noticing Ginny was there. "Sir, with all due respect your son said-."

"What my son says is of no importance to you unless he was speaking to you, Alder." He turned to Ginny as if to introduce her. "This is Ginevra Weasley and my son is the reason I am home as late with her, as he and her daughter have decided to become best friends and so planned to destroy each other to get us to come to school. If you wish to lecture me about the time of my arrival home please do it tomorrow, all I want now is a long bath and my bed. Miss Weasley here wants to get home so she shall be going by floo, is there anything that you wanted before I go inside?"

The man stood down from Malfoy's sudden outburst and replied with a meek, "Well – yes actually sir there is. I don't think she can go – you see shortly after you left, one of the house elves were cleaning the fireplaces. Your maid caught him and told him that she needed him to finish something for her and that she'd finish the elf's work on the fireplaces herself. I had gone out for the week's shopping and when I returned I found the fireplaces in a mess. She said she had tried to skip all the hard work and used a spell to clean all at once but it backfired somehow sir and they're – well, you'll see. Thinking that you'd be home early I thought that you could have owled for them to be fixed but-." He sighed. "I shall see you in the morning." He turned and went back to the small hut that they had passed.

Sighing, Malfoy nodded. "Good night, Alder." He stepped inside and held the door for Ginny to follow closing it behind her.

"What does he mean, 'you'll see.' Is there something wrong with them?"

"The last time Simone said she'd do a job for a house elf she almost destroyed my home, twice. I almost fired her again." He went to the fireplace and grabbed a fist of floo power from the jar that sat on top. "Where is it you want to go?"

"Forest Hill," she replied.

"Forest Hill," he repeated as he threw the power to the floor of the fireplace. Red flames sprang from the burned logs on the fire. He shook his head. "No, they're useless. I'll have to get in touch with the damn network again. You'll just have to apparate I guess."

"Apparate? No I can't."

"Why not?"

"If I do, the house will throw me out." He had the grace to look confused. "It's a long story, very complicated you wouldn't understand."

"Well if you don't want to apparate and you obviously can't floo then you'll have to wait until morning so that I can take you back to the station."

"What? No, I don't – I can't stay here. I have – stuff to do."

"Stuff?" he said with a disbelieving voice. He crossed his arms and looked at her.

"Yes, stuff. I need to… water my plants and feed my cat," she said with sudden inspiration.

"I'm sure they can go one night, it's not me who can't apparate home. Why don't you apparate outside and then just walk in?"

"No, that doesn't work either." He looked at her raising an eyebrow. "I had it _made_ a certain way alright, no magic within a certain radius of the house can get near it. If it does the house is fitted with a strong charm – a ward if you might that will get rid of the intruder. Plus it's a muggle neighborhood so it would be too risky."

"Like an alarm system, but a really active one, right?"

"You could say that."

"Well then, it looks like you're staying here." He looked at her and almost laughed at the look on her face, she was definitely sulking. "Cheer up Weasley I'm sure I'll find somewhere," he said mimicking her earlier in the day. She gave him a look of loathing, daring him to continue. "After all, this house is rather large."


	8. Sleepless Nights

Chapter eight

The Perfect Plan

**Sleepless nights**

Ginny opened her eyes feeling the soft sheets between her fingers. She turned over onto her back and stared at the ceiling, that wasn't her ceiling._ That's not my ceiling,_ she thought rolling over onto her side and sitting up. She swung her legs over the edge of the large bed. _This isn't my bed, where am I?_ She got up and looked around quite dazed and a little scared by not knowing her surroundings. Then it hit, the days events came flooding back to her and she calmed down a little. Sighing, she made her way back to the bed and lay down bringing the quilt up to her waist.

"What am I doing here?" she asked herself after thoroughly giving herself a talking to. _ You shouldn't be here, you should be at home in your own bed looking at your own ceiling, what are you doing here?_ She lay like that for a while in the dark listening to nothing and hearing nothing. Upon realising that she was not going to sleep anytime soon she sat up again. Only after that did the rumbling in her stomach begin. It was then that she remembered that she had not eaten all day. She rubbed her stomach through the shirt that Malfoy had given her to sleep in. It was a soft cotton shirt and most likely the shirt to a pair of pajamas. It had little moons and dragons all over it in a pattern where the dragons would jump for the moon but wouldn't be able to reach it so they fell back to the ground. When he gave it to her, she had thought it cute and almost laughed at it before remembering he was still in the room.

She tried to ignore the rumbling but it came again, louder and longer than before. She felt for her wand and got out of the bed feeling for the door handle and walked out unto the corridor.

"Lumos," she said into the darkness. Her wand tip radiated in a golden light that flew down the hallway. But when the light went on, sounds from all around her rose in volume.

There was creaking to her left. She turned sharply toward it becoming suddenly jumpy when another sound to her right picked up where the other had left off. She passed a few portraits that looked upon her in concern. She couldn't hear what they were saying though through the sound of her own breathing quickening and wavering to the echoes all around her.

"_Have we seen her before?"_

"_I don't know. You there, have you been here previously?"_

Ginny ignored them and ran downstairs toward the front door. It wouldn't open. She had to find a way out of there. There were too many things going on here for her to handle. _It was a mistake coming here,_ she thought as she looked for another way out.

She remembered the kitchen, she had gotten in from the kitchen. She made her way to the back of the house but in doing so her feet felt a small heat as she passed large double doors on her left. She stopped and walked backwards a little way to feel it again. She looked down, there was a light at the bottom of the door. There was someone in there because a fire was burning. Thinking that she would feel safer in there than outside, she pushed on one door and it opened noisily. She made her way inside feeling promptly warmed as she entered the bright burning light of the fire at the other side of the room.

She looked around, the fire burned bright enough for her to see the whole room. Books lined every wall, every doorway to other rooms possibly filled with more books. She had never seen so many. Not even in the library at school.

"Nox," she said. Her wand tip burned out and she slid it up her sleeve. She tugged on the bottom of the shirt she was wearing that just made it over her thighs and walked more into the room brushing her hands over the spines as she went.

Just then, as before, she heard a noise and she felt a presence in the room that she had not sensed before. She turned startled. There was nothing there and the feeling went away. She turned back to the bookcases and read the titles on the spines of the books when the feeling came to her again.

---

Cordelia awoke first feeling the heat from the fire, the room had gotten rather warm despite it being the Slytherin dungeons. Something had woken her up, she was not a heavy sleeper unlike her mother and instead of opening her eyes she listened out for any trace of an intruder. She could feel another presence in the room besides Chayse that still lay down beside her. She lay still as the presence got closer. It wasn't until she could feel the coldness of the stranger that she opened her eyes and grasped whoever it was by the throat.

"Who are you?" she asked with a violent tone.

Chayse, who was until now asleep, jumped awake and looked around for the cause of the disturbance. When he turned towards Cordelia she was awake and had a hand at Zambini's throat.

"Cordy what are you doing, let him go!" he almost yelled careful not to wake anyone up. It would not bide well for his classmates to wake up and see a Gryffindor strangling a Slytherin.

She caught herself and let him go abruptly. "Sorry Ben, I didn't know it was you," she said embarrassed.

As he broke free of her grasp he struggled to breathe again and only spoke when his breathing was under control. "That's er – that's alright Weasley, I'm sure you didn't mean it." He rubbed his neck to get rid of the redness that had formed around where she grabbed him. "That's – quite a – grip you have there," he breathed.

"Sorry about that. I'm not that much of a heavy sleeper and my mother – well she taught me some things. It's become a natural reaction I guess, are you alright there?" She moved closer to him to see his throat but as soon as she did he mirrored her movements and backed away.

"That's – that's alright I'll be fine. I think – I think I'll just go to bed. Um - Chayse?"

"Yeah?" he replied still sidetracked by his best friend's actions.

"I took We- Mara back to the tower, we almost got caught but she's there now."

"Okay Zambini I'll see you in the morning."

He turned and walked faster than usual to his dormitory without looking back. Cordelia watched him as he gingerly made his way through the door still rubbing at his neck.

"He should put some ice on that," she said thoughtfully.

"And you should start with your explanations. Where the hell did that come from? And don't you dare feed me that lie that your mum taught you those things because I know they're not true and you are definitely not that light a sleeper."

She sighed softly. "I don't know where it came from, Chayse." She sat down on the sofa again and started playing with her eyes. "It just – kicks in whenever I feel vulnerable, I don't know where it comes from. I once took off my friends head when she came to wake me up, it's frightening Chayse she didn't talk to me all week. "

"Well what happens, can you explain it?"

"Well, for one I guess I am a heavy sleeper but I suppose I'm selective. I can sleep the whole day away but one small out of place noise and I wake up, then it's like this sixth sense that I have. It's like I can tell if something is around me without seeing it. For example take just now when Ben came in, I woke up when I heard something I guess it was the portrait hole. When I woke up the first thing I felt was heat from the fireplace, then I started listening for anything around that was making noise. I heard footsteps, soft but there nonetheless. When he came closer I – I could feel it, you know? Then I felt this coldness near me and I knew he was right next to me. He just came in from outside and that was the only logical reason anything cold would be in the room, right? I didn't know it was him though I swear I didn't."

"I know you didn't, it's okay. He says he's fine, you don't need to worry. One thing's for sure he'll think twice before waking you up again," he laughed. Reluctantly she felt a smile tug at her mouth and joined in.

---

Draco had spent the rest of the night in the library and he had even fallen asleep a little. The sound of an opening door woke him up and his eyes flew open as he looked out from the balcony where he had been sitting. He had positioned a desk and a chair up there to look out on the rest of the room purely to see whoever it was coming in from downstairs.

Silently, he moved his chair back and went to stand by the edge to look over who it was that had come in through the doors. He didn't see anyone. _Surely if someone was in here and then left I would know?_ he thought.

"Nox," he heard.

Oh, it was her. He stood and waited for her to walk in. Eventually she did and he just stood there and watched her. She was wearing the shirt he had given her. It was strange, he hadn't even noticed that it was the top half of the pajama bottoms he had on now. Hmm. He shoved that to the back of his mind. The last thing he should be thinking about was what she was wearing but he couldn't help it. She looked… breathtaking.

He had always remembered her in a certain way, in the back of his mind where he was sure no-one could see him watching her. All those years ago, when the entire school had united there was a lot of pressure. Being together for that long meant getting to know each other better. Both of them, if anything, had taken it a little too far. But when the war was over, they both knew nothing could come of it. He had duties to fulfill promises to another family and she had left without a word, and without a fight. They hadn't seen each other for years after that. In that time he had married and had a son and she had found someone else and had a daughter. Who in turn had become best friends. Fate it seems was not without a sense of humour.

He chuckled despite his need to stay silent. He had hoped she hadn't heard it but she did. She turned quickly, startled at the noise but there was no-one there behind her. He smiled to himself, she hadn't noticed the balcony he was standing on. He moved back a little but as he relaxed the pressure on the wood, it creaked and she turned again this time in his direction gasping at the noise.

He watched her as she looked at him, her face changed from alarmed to relaxed as she sighed in relief at the sight of him. She looked at him closer in a white t-shirt and pajama bottoms, he almost looked like she remembered him.

"Can't sleep?" he called to her from above.

She snapped out of her daze and answered, "Not really, I woke up and I felt hungry so I came in search of food." She stood waiting as he disappeared and reappeared on the stairs that led to the balcony above.

"Well, I regret to inform you that you have come to the wrong place," he said signaling to the books around him.

"Well I regret to inform you that I think your house is haunted."

"What?"

"Haunted, there are noises coming from everywhere. They frightened the living daylights out of me."

"Oh, you mean the paintings on the walls?'

"What?"

"There are portraits and paintings everywhere. They make noises from time to time, I guess I don't really hear them anymore because I'm used to them."

Ginny's mouth made an understanding 'oh' shape and she looked to the floor. Her hair spilled over her shoulders and caught in the bright light of the flames. Draco's eyes caught the vibrant red of it as it fell onto her front over the first few open buttons of the shirt he had given her.

"Um – did you, did you say you were hungry?" He swallowed hard and concentrated on the door behind her.

"Very," she said in a thankful voice.

"Well, follow me. I'm sure there's some kind of pre-made food in the fridge." He walked outside and held the door for her to follow.

"Apagarius," he said as he left the room. The flames lessened and died completely as he shut the door.

They walked slowly to the kitchen and Ginny sat down on a stool at the island in the middle of the room.

"Incendio!" he said and the fire in the kitchen roared. Draco went over to the other side to open the fridge. The light from it lit the whole kitchen and the cupboards and surfaces came into view. He bent over to see into it and Ginny caught sight of his trousers, they were the other half of the shirt she had on_. I wonder if he's noticed,_ she thought as he brought out a few sandwiches wrapped in clear film.

"I think that these were supposed to be my lunch, so I guess there's no harm in eating them now. Here you go. Would you like anything to drink?"

"Erm," she said as she unwrapped the film. "What do you have?"

"I have absolutely no clue." He stood and put his hands in his pockets and smiled.

Ginny cocked her head to the side. _Hmm, just as I remember him,_ she thought. "Well," she said out loud. "I guess a cup of tea wouldn't do any harm. I assume you know how to make one?" she smiled to the side of her mouth.

"Yes," he said in an obvious way. "I've done it before… once, but I'm sure I can do it again."

She raised her eyebrows. "Sure you can." She watched him as he went through all the cupboards searching for the cups, some sugar, a tea bag and went into the fridge again for some milk. Ten minutes and three tries later there were two cups of steaming hot tea sitting on the counter in front of her.

He waited patiently for her to taste it. "Well?" he asked as she sipped on it.

She sat there, playing with it in her mouth and put on a face like she was trying to figure out how it tasted. He was getting more and more on edge.

"How does it taste?" he asked again.

"Patience," she chided and then took another sip.

"Weasley."

She burst out laughing, almost spilling tea down the front of her shirt. "Oh I could die from your face right now!" she laughed. From the look on his face she could tell he just wanted an answer. She calmed down. "It's perfect, Malfoy, absolutely perfect." She smiled at him and took another sip. "Though for the third try I'm not at all surprised. I could have sold tickets for people to watch you make a cup of tea."

They both laughed at this and then sat in silence eating. She looked around again. It looked very homely there, especially with the fire burning at one side.

"How long have you lived here?" she asked him when his mouth wasn't full.

"I moved here with my wi -." He stopped and looked to the ground wondering if that was the right thing to say to her.

"With your wife, Malfoy, you can say it. I got over that a long time ago." She bit into her sandwich again.

"Maybe."

"Pardon?"

"Nothing."

"No, finish what you were about to say." He didn't speak. "What, you think that you're so high and mighty that no person that has ever known you can get over you? Think again Malfoy."

---

"I think I had better go back now, my roommates would be wondering where I am."

"Okay then, be careful of Filch's cat."

"You're not coming with me?"

"Cordy, if I do then there is a great chance that I would end up falling asleep there. I don't see why you can't just sleep here, you've done it before, plus it's a weekend tomorrow."

"Are you sure your friend's won't mind?"

"Don't worry. Besides with that death grip you have there I don't think they'll challenge you at all." He got up and offered his hand. "Come on." She took it and followed him to his dorm.

---

"I didn't mean it like that and you know it. You may have been able to forget it all in one go and shack up with some other man Weasley but I can assure you that it took me a little more than a few weeks to forget you."

"What?"

He shook his head. "Nothing." He threw down his sandwich and picked up his cup to drain it down the sink. When he turned around she was still sitting there watching him.

"Apagarius," he said to the fire and it died instantly. "I'm going to bed. I'll wake you up tomorrow to take you to the station."

"What? You're leaving?" She spun on the stool to follow him as he left.

"That's usually what I do when I say I'm going to bed, Ginny." He continued walking through the hall way and through the living room to get to the stairs.

She stopped at the mention of her name. He hadn't called her that in years. Hell, he hadn't called her. She knew that it was partly her fault because she had left him, but even if she did, she had given him plenty of time to come after her. In all honesty he had no reason to be angry, if anything, she should be the one leaving him standing in the living room. With that in mind she pulled at the crook of his arm. "No, you're not! I want an explanation now, what do you mean?"

He let out a frustrated sigh and turned to her unaware that she was actually so close. She was so determined that she didn't even notice and bumped into him when he turned. She looked into his eyes, they were a leaden gray and troubled as if he had been fighting with this for a while but had beaten it down only to have her stir it up again.

He looked down on her as she watched him and all logical thought flew from his mind as his eyes fell on hers. She was just as beautiful as the day she had left, without so much as a goodbye. And as much as he had tried to convince himself that he hated her, he couldn't. He was in love with her then. He was still in love with her now. With that thought in mind, he lowered his head and kissed her. He wasn't at all surprised that she kissed him back almost immediately. He knew that she felt the same way.

She had dreamt about his, many nights when she would lie alone in her bedroom just remembering all those memories they had when they were together. She captured and recaptured his mouth and, slowly, they moved towards the chairs of the living room. She straddled him gently, leaving a less than modest space between their hips. Then she twined a hand in his hair and pulled him to her.


	9. The Morning After

Chapter Nine

The Perfect Plan

**The Morning After**

She opened her eyes to a familiar sight. Feeling the presence of someone behind her, she turned. It was Chayse, he was sleeping soundly. She looked around the bed. The curtains were drawn and inside was dark but she could tell from the light that crept over the top of the bed that it was morning already, perhaps even early afternoon. She turned over completely and looked at him while he slept. Soon, if all went well, he would be her little brother. She had always wanted a brother but that was near impossible seeing as her mother had never even looked at another man besides her father.

Chayse stirred but didn't open his eyes; she held her breath using everything necessary to make sure he stayed asleep. He had had a hard two months and it was finally going to pay off. He deserved his sleep.

Before long they would be the proud owners of two parents again and this time they'd stay in one place. They would be brother and sister and the greatest part of that would be – she would be older. "Little brother, I like the sound of that," she mused tucking a few stray strands of hair behind his ear.

"As great as that sounds," she heard and jumped out of surprise, "I prefer Astie better."

"You're awake? I didn't know you were awake, you should have said something."

"Of course I'm awake I always get up early, you know this. Besides, the others in this room had to get ready this morning for Hogsmeade and they did not hold back on the noise factor. Apparently, they're going to bring me some kind of a surprise when they get back. I'm looking forward to it actually."

"I think I should get back to my dorm. Spending most of Saturday in uniform is not exactly my idea of a good start to a weekend."

"Good idea. I'll meet you by the lake in two hours. Maybe we could find something to do."

"What about homework?"

"Finished it already."

"Really? I'm only half way through."

"Well then it looks like we have something to do already. I always enjoy work in progress."

She hopped off the bed and opened the door. "See you in a bit." Leaving the door open, she sprinted down the stairs and walked the rest of the way to the tower.

---

It took a while to open her eyes due to the intense beam of sunlight that penetrated through the window. When she eventually opened her eyes it took another long while for her to figure out where she was, again. It wasn't a room in her house. It wasn't the room she was staying in either. _Where the hell am I?_

Then last night's events flooded back into her memory. "I have to go, I can't be here I have to go."

"Hmm, what?" She jumped. Lying next to her was Malfoy and his arm was wrapped firmly around her waist. _What have I done?_ she thought. She tried to move her hand but her fingers were interlaced with his. Carefully she removed her hands without waking him up. He wasn't a heavy sleeper and he had already asked her a question but had dosed off again so she had to be careful.

The room was bright as if after noon and she traced the ground for her clothes and found the shirt Malfoy had given her the night before.

_I have got to get out of here._ She opened the door quietly and stepped outside closing it behind her. She buttoned up the shirt and walked along the corridor searching in all the rooms for the one she had slept in the night before but she couldn't find it. She turned a corner and bumped into the same frightening man that she could only guess was the butler.

He scanned her up and down in her 'outfit,' with scrutinizing eyes before speaking. "Good morning Madam, I trust you had a peaceful sleep," he said sarcastically.

"Um." She tried hard not to sound guilty but the fact of the matter was that she was guiltier than sin itself. "Yes, it was great!" she blurted out before realising how it sounded. "I mean, I – it was peaceful, yes, very peaceful."

He cocked an eyebrow. "Good day madam," he sighed and rounded her to walk away.

"Um, Alder. Excuse me but – this might sound strange but – you wouldn't happen to know-."

"Excuse me miss but this has been a trying day and I have things to do."

"Of course, of course. Um – I was just wondering-."

"The bathroom, madam, is down the hall and the fourth door on the left." He turned rudely and began to walk away.

"No – that's not-," she tried calling after him.

"And your bedroom is two doors opposite," he called knowingly as he walked down the stairs.

She followed his directions and found her room dressing quickly. She had to get out of there. She couldn't wait to get home and take a long scolding hot shower. Somehow showering here was not as effective and only made it worse.

"Where are you going?" came a voice from the door.

She jumped for the second time. This house was getting to her. From creepy paintings and killer butlers to sleeping with the owner, it was all too much.

"I have to go. I can't stay here any longer."

"So, you're just going to run away, again." He put all his weight on the door frame.

"I didn't run away, Draco, I walked. You said you had to keep your promises to her family, so I let you go. I loved you so much that I had to let you go." She watched his reaction as he scoffed. "Don't give me that, I didn't force you away you did that by yourself. When I left, your friends told me – no ordered is more like it – they ordered me to stay away, so I did. I left to leave you in peace, but even so…" she laughed mockingly.

"Even so what?" he asked angrily.

She shook her head. "Never mind."

"You say that a lot and it's bloody annoying. Finish what you were saying. Even so what? You ran off without a trace, without a letter, without… without as much as a goodbye!"

"Oh – piss – off Malfoy! I may have walked away, Draco, but I gave you plenty of time to come after me!" She stared at him for a long time and he became silent, in words and expressions.

"I could have left for you, I loved you but he's my son. I couldn't leave him."

"I understand you know. She was pregnant, Draco. How could you have left a woman pregnant? Even you aren't that selfish. She was having your child. You cannot tell me that you would have left her and him for me. Well, would you? Knowing what he has become, would you really have left him alone if you could go back and change it all?"

He hung his head. "No," he said to the floor.

"I didn't think so. Think of his life Draco, your son. He needs a father, one that can be there for him. Personally, I think you made the right choice. It was a hard decision I know, believe me. It took a lot of strength for me to leave but I did because I knew that if I were around you that your choice would falter, it happens, but we dealt with it."

"Last night-."

"Last night was a momentary lapse of judgement, one that won't happen again because we cannot think of ourselves anymore. We both know this."

"We seem to know a lot of things, Ginny." She sighed heavily and walked past him onto the corridor.

"I can't love you anymore because it only causes problems. I learned that a long time ago. I have to convince myself that they don't exist just like I have been doing for so long. It's the only way."

He scoffed. "They've worked well for you," he said sarcastically as they passed his room.

"The things that I felt last night will never be brought to the surface again, Draco. I haven't felt like that for a while and I don't intend to feel them again anytime soon. I don't know why we keep getting dragged together like this but I have nothing to stay here for anymore so I'll have to go." He watched her descend the stairs.

"How, pray tell, do you intend to get to the station?"

"I'm sure I'll find my way. I have an excellent sense of direction."

"Sure you do. No, despite recent events I promised you I would take you back to the station and I will, just let me get dressed."

---

One Week Later

"I hope you know how much I am sacrificing for you." Ginny turned to her daughter as they walked behind the other two men leading the way through the park.

Cordelia looked at her mother. "Mum, please just try to get along with him. This means a lot to me and I don't want anything to go wrong."

"Nothing will go wrong I can promise you that much. Just as long as his father stays away from me, I'll – everything will be fine."

"Don't worry mum, he won't touch you." As much as Ginny had repeated that to herself, somehow hearing those words from someone else suddenly made her feel a little miserable. She shook it off as they crossed the street. They followed them up the wide pathway to the house, this time entering through the front door.

The same man with the broad shoulders opened the door as they walked up the three wide steps. The children entered first, practically running through the door. Ginny took a little more time and almost shrank at the look the man was giving her. He then glanced behind her and fixed his face to a smile when he settled back on her.

"Welcome home Sir. Miss Weasley," he half bowed his head and closed the door behind them then walked off towards the living room.

"You didn't have to do that you know," she said once Alder was gone feeling relieved.

"Oh so you want him watching you like that, well that's fine I'll remember it for next time he's around." He walked through the hallway towards the library.

Without thinking she followed him. "I don't think he likes me."

"Ignore him. It's really me this has to deal with. He just doesn't like the idea of me breaking my promises." He entered through the doors and went upstairs to the balcony. Ginny remained below and looked up when he came to the edge.

"Hmm, when are we leaving?" she called to him.

"As soon as your daughter finishes Chayse's tour. He'll know where to find me once he's ready."

---

"Cool, this is your room?" Cordelia looked around. "Damn. I knew you were spoiled but this is ridiculous!"

"I am not spoiled!"

She looked at him in a scrutinizing way. "Sure Chayse, whatever." She went and sat on his bed. "This house is fantastic. I wish I could live somewhere like this."

"You can, you can and you will."

"Let's not go ahead of ourselves. My mum just told me to keep your dad away from her so she'll behave. In hind sight I don't think this was such a good idea."

"Well, too late. We will get them together and they will fall in love if it kills them."

"Don't say that, I don't need another dead parent. Come to think of it, neither do you." They both laughed.

"Well, ready to go? All of the things we need are in our bags and those are already at the cabin so we can't do much planning now. Shall we?" he held out his hand and Cordelia took it.

"Yes, let it begin." She took a deep breath and walked down the stairs with him. "Where are they?"

"Well I don't know about your mum but I know where my dad will be."

---

"You have a lot of literature books, by muggle authors which is even more surprising," Ginny said scanning his collection more carefully.

"Why is that surprising?" He peered over the balcony to look at her.

"Well, I never thought you would read these kind of things - oh Merlin's beard!" she said shocked.

"What?"

"You have Shakespeare?" she laughed.

"So?" he said defensively.

"Nothing." She shook her head and continued along the line. Just then the door opened. Ginny looked to her left towards the door and saw Cordelia walk in followed closely by Chayse who walked straight up the stairs to find his father. Cordelia walked straight over to her.

"Have you been behaving?" she said quietly

Ginny rolled her eyes. "I should think so. Where have you been?"

"Upstairs he was showing me around. I met this very strange looking man. I think he was the butler."

"Alder," Ginny said drifting her head back to the bookshelf.

"Yeah that's right. How did you know?"

Ginny's eyes went wide. She didn't think much of knowing the butler's name. "Um – I was introduced just after you both ran up the stairs by the prick extraordinaire."

"Mum," Cordelia said in a hushed tone.

"What," she said defensively. "It's true, the guy's a jerk. I hope you've made the right friend because if he's anything like his father – Oh great Merlin," she interrupted herself.

"Mum? Mum what is it?"

_I sound just like my mother. Oh no. _"Just please promise me you won't get emotional with this boy. That's all I need."

"Eew, mother please! That's disgusting!" she screwed up her face.

"That's exactly what I want to hear from you every time I bring that up. Continue with what you were talking about." She turned and pulled out Macbeth from the large collection of plays in the bookshelf. "Who would ever think the man has taste in literature," she said to herself but Cordelia heard her.

She smiled as Ginny scanned the pages. "Um – well their bathroom is huge. Oh and you should see his father's bedroom -." She stopped as her mother promptly shut the book and shoved it back into the bookshelf.

"Never mind, I don't want to hear anymore. When are we leaving?"

"Now," said a voice above them.

"Good, let's go." She ushered Cordelia to the fireplace and watched as both her and Chayse flooed to the cabin.

"Nice save," she heard as she grabbed a handful of powder.

"What?" she said.

"To avoid knowing the butler's name. Oh, and you do realise you sounded just like your mother when she met me don't you?"

"Urgh. Please spare me I'd rather not do this right now."

"Are you not going to tell her?"

"No! Are you crazy?" Her interest peaked though when he raised his eyebrows. "Do you plan on telling your son?"

"If he wants to know then yes I'll tell him. No point in lying to him, he's a smart boy he'll probably figure it out for himself anyway." He looked at her amazed expression. 'What?"

She shook her head. "Nothing."

"Fine, I'll see you on the other side."


	10. When The Joke Becomes Reality

Chapter ten

The Perfect Plan

**When the Joke Becomes Reality**

"Well at least they haven't killed each other yet. That gives us more of a chance than we had before."

"Yeah I guess so. The fact that they can be civil for more than a day is reassuring." She turned back towards the direction they had come from. They had been walking for a while, he followed suit saying what he knew she was thinking. "Do you think it was wise to leave them in the house alone? I mean I know it's a good sign but we haven't left them alone for almost a week now, what if they were just waiting for us to go?"

"I doubt that - ." There was a noise in the bushes. "What was that?"

"What? I didn't hear anything." Cordelia looked around warily where she heard the noise. Usually she would have picked something up by now.

"I swear I just heard something over there." She took cautious steps to a large bush that swayed in the light breeze.

"What do you think it is?"

"I don't know, Jacques said there were a lot of animals in these forests."

"He also said that the ones at this part of Mont Blanc were not dangerous, we're near the bottom where muggle animals are. Magical creatures know better than to wander down here."

"Oh they do, do th-." She heard a branch snap behind her. She swung around, almost knocking Chayse over. "Now I know I heard that," she said worried.

"Cordy relax, there's probably nothing there."

"Fine, but I did not agree to be really killed. I don't see why you can't be hurt."

"Well you know I would but – your mum doesn't seem to warm to me like I thought. Plus my Father's more susceptible to female injuries."

"Really," she said in a sarcastic tone. "And I suppose you're about to say he's a sucker for a tear or two."

"Oh come on, no man likes to see a woman cry. Even if it isn't our fault you make us feel like it is. You're all evil in that way if you ask me. Plus it would seem heroic because you're saving me from it, seeing as you're older -."

"Ah ha! I knew it! You're still moping because I get to be the eldest, Merlin you are so sad!"

"I am not nor have I ever moped." He turned his nose to the air and continued walking. Cordelia just laughed quietly and watched him go a few steps. Her hearing was not fooling her though when she saw the bushes move again and she swore she could hear growling but seeing as nothing showed its face, she ignored it and fell into step with him still looking at the bush as she walked away.

---

"What are you doing?" He looked at the large bowl of chicken soaking in liquid as he entered the kitchen. The liquid was now pinkish from the raw chicken and seasoning, and it had bits of herbs and spices floating in it that smelled good even though the chicken was raw.

Ginny turned around to look at him at the door. "I'm cutting tomatoes, is that okay with you?" she said in a sarcastic tone.

He walked in. "You cook?" he asked

"No, I slice tomatoes for fun and then I order out." She gave a fake smile.

"Funny." He matched her smile with even more fakeness.

"No, no really it's true, I season chicken and cut up vegetables and put on the frying pan for no other reason but to sit and watch it whilst I sit and owl out for take out food. It's quite refreshing. Uh huh, you should try it, its fun."

"Okay, you can stop now."

She laughed, "I'm sorry but what did it look like I was doing? Do you think I starve every night or something?"

He sighed in annoyance. "Where's Astie?"

"Well he took my daughter out for a walk about an hour ago. I haven't heard from them but he assured me that she was in good hands. Frankly it's his hands that I'm worried about but from the reaction I get every time I bring up the subject-."

"Oh you mean the 'Eew, that's disgusting,' thing? Yeah I get that too."

"Yeah, well from that I don't think I have anything to worry about but it still irks me."

"Why?"

"Because of his father." She cocked an eyebrow and turned back to the cutting board.

"What was that about his father? I'm sorry you'll have to repeat."

She shook her head saying, "Nothing, forget I said anything."

"Mmm hmm, well if you worry about him then there's no reason I shouldn't worry about her considering."

Ginny turned with an insulted face. "Excuse me, considering what exactly?" she said in an over exaggerated voice. She waved the knife cautiously in front of him daring him to continue.

He did continue, as if there was nothing there. "I just mean considering who her mother is I wouldn't blame him if she put the moves on him."

"You disgusting, irresponsible – oh, of all the offensive - and cruel and most utter evil things to say! I cannot believe that I just heard that, have you got no common decency? W-." She was cut off as he came at her pulling the knife away and pressed himself against her towards the cabinet in a kiss.

---

"I think here's a good a spot as any." Chayse sat on a small pile of dried leaves and dropped the bag he was carrying on the floor.

"So I guess we have to sit on the hard ground then."

"Unless you want to be expelled from school for using under-aged magic, yes," he smiled up at her before pulling her to the ground. She dropped her wand in front of her, she still didn't trust these woods.

"Well, in that case how do you intend to create these wounds? We'll need magic to make them won't we?" she said matter of factly.

He laughed knowingly. "I knew you were going to ask that. I told you to come to the meeting on Wednesday but you just had to finish your assignment didn't you? Well my dearest - to be - sister, I thought of that already and told little Miss Mara to contact her father and her uncle."

"Which one?"

"The twin of her father of course. Who else runs one of the most successful joke shops in Hogsmeade?" He pulled out a sandwich bag of what could only be described as two pieces of flesh surrounded by a mass of red liquid.

"Ah." It was all she needed to say.

"I activated them on the train so watch yourself it'll run on your clothes, but she did," he said pulling out a piece of parchment, "include in her instructions, very detailed might I add, that the stains can be removed with a presoak in hot water." He nodded in approval handing the bag to her.

She held it at arms length because it looked like it would spill any second. She now saw why Chayse really didn't want to do this on himself. It looked disgusting. She winced.

"Don't worry, it bleeds to no more than necessary to prevent leakage and fuses itself on any body part for as long as you need it."

_Snap._ "That's not-." She turned around. She definitely heard something this time. She got onto her knees and peered over Chayse head, he was surprisingly taller than she was and she had always disliked that about him. There was a huge tree that towered above them that shielded them from the sun and any sudden rain and around its trunk was another bush that surrounded it immense and thick.

"Chayse, did you hear that?"

"Not again, Cordelia stop hearing things there's nothing here." Her eyes widened as he spoke but she wasn't looking at him she was looking at the grayish – purple creature that had emerged out of the bushes behind him. It towered over Chayse's sitting and unaware form with two extremely sharp horns pointing out from its head looking at her wand in front of him. It looked extremely dangerous and it probably was. One thing for sure…

This was no muggle animal.

"Chayse, move – slowly – towards – me."

"What, why?" She didn't answer she just lowered her gaze to him and spoke directly to him in a low and calm manner, sudden movements and sounds were what they needed least at that moment.

"Shh," she said softly. "Just do it. Please."

"Cordelia what is wrong with you? Are you still upset about what you're hearing, there's nothing here but muggle animals. Honestly Cordy you have to stop being so paranoid."

Her eyes bore into his and he became serious when he looked at them, the normal pale blue he was used to had become dark and deathly serious. "Chayse, it's not paranoia when it's really there. Behind you." She pointed to it with her eyes hoping he'd get the hint.

"Wh – what?" He cautiously turned around to meet the brown eyes of an animal he had never seen before. "Cordy, what is that?" he asked in a terrified voice.

"I don't know, but don't make any sudden moves 'cos you might make it angry."

Then there was another snap on the ground of the forest. _Oh Merlin, please don't let that be another one._ The second it sounded though, she took it as a chance because the creature turned its head to where the sound had come from and turned slightly. She grabbed hold of the hood from Chayse's jacket with one hand and her wand in the other and pulled him up and they both began to run for their lives.

---

The knife dropped to the floor and her hands reached up around his neck pulling him toward her. His hands crept lower around the skirt of her blouse reaching under it. It was then that reality hit and she grasped what was going on. She brought her hands down to his chest and pushed him away.

"No."

"Why?" he asked exasperated.

"Because I promised myself." She bent down to pick up the knife.

"You what?"

"I – never mind," she sighed as she washed it off and continued to cut up the vegetables.

"No, I will not forget. I have been trying very hard not to look at you, not to feel you around me but you're here. I – I guess I can't help myself."

Ginny laughed bitterly.

He looked at her confused. "What?"

"You know, for years after I left I kept wondering 'why?'" She continued cutting as she spoke. "I was gone for ten years and I couldn't understand why you didn't even try to find me." She looked up at the ceiling and rested down her hands on the counter. "I spent _hours_ at night just crying over you. I felt so stupid because it was obvious you could let me go but I couldn't, I just couldn't get you out of my head. I guess in a way I never have." She shrugged and continued chopping. "Then a week ago you tell me that you never forgot me and you convict me of forgetting you first when I thought it was the other way around. It was then I understood why I left and you just proved it to me." She could feel his asking expression. "'You can't help yourself.' I tried to convince you that I left for that same reason but the truth of the matter is that I've been trying to convince myself of that _every damn day_ for the past _fifteen years_. You just proved to me that I made the right choice to stay away." She laughed in a nervous way not believing that she was confessing all of this to him after bottling it up for so long.

"I returned once, you know, to check up on things." He lifted his head at that. "I heard that your wife had died and I was horrified and _so sorry_. But what horrified me the most-." Her voice wavered and she almost broke down. "Merlin I can't believe I'm telling you this, you'll hate me." She wiped away her tears and carried on. "What horrified me the most was of what I thought about you that same night I was told. I thought, 'five years of his wife being dead and he couldn't even try to find me, he couldn't even think of me.'" The knife dropped on the counter and her hands went to her face shielding the tears that fell freely. He moved forward to comfort her but the second she felt him near she pushed him away. "No, no I don't deserve that. I felt so ashamed of myself I didn't think that anyone who thought something like that deserved happiness at all, so I left again. I knew that when Cordelia started school, there would be the risk of running into you on the platform but I managed." She laughed emptily. "I always manage."

She turned to face him for the first time since she started talking. She waited until she sobered a little before speaking with a straight face, though her voice was still croaking. "I am so sorry about Pansy and I'm sorry that I couldn't be there for you when you needed someone, but I had to stay away. Your son needed you and he still does and I didn't want to get in the way of that. I love you so much but you have to understand, I had to." She sniffed and let out a whimper as she leaned against the counter.

Draco moved over to the counter and leaned next to her. "I understand, Ginny, but what about you?" he said to her after handing her a tea towel to dry her tears.

"What about me?"

"Your husband died before you even had your daughter, you raised her alone as well and from what I see you did a very good job."

She spoke from behind the tea towel, her eyes peeked over the top. "Really?" she said muffled.

He nodded, "Yes really."

They stood there for a while in a comfortable silence. She sniffed again and this time smiled at him. "Well, I guess Chayse isn't so bad." He always had this way of making you feel better even though you know things were still a mess. "I still don't want him near my daughter though," she said quickly.

"What?" he said caught off guard. He hadn't expected that. "Why not, he's a descent boy. I see no reason for you to hold back."

She turned again to continue with the lettuce for the salad. "Malfoy, just trust me on this. Let's make it easy for the boy to grow up normal."

"Normal?"

"Yes, you really want him to go out with a Weasley?"

"Why not? I did."

She laughed, "That was different."

"Different how?" he said defensively.

"Our – relationship was brought upon by intense situations of the war. If it hadn't been for the fact I could have died I may never have seen you the way I did."

"So what you're trying to tell me is that if I hadn't saved your life you wouldn't have slept with me?"

"Yes, if you want to put it that way."

"Do you have any idea how unethical that sounds?"

"Well you do have a talent for making things sound that way."

"I do not!"

"Yes you do, you could make a trip by the minister to the toilet sound like a sly innuendo."

"I cannot!" he answered defensively. But after a moments thought he continued. "Unless he's being followed by his first secretary, then that's just common sense."

"You're doing it now!" she laughed. "You can't just let things alone the way they are. You have to stir it to a boiling point."

Draco found he was speechless. She was right and he hated it. "Urgh," he said huffily and grabbed a handful of diced carrots to throw at her.

"Ah!" she shrieked as they found their way into her hair and down her blouse. He followed them with his eyes.

"I could help to get them out if you want." He moved forward to oblige her when the knife came up to ward him off.

"Touch me and I'll dice you, Malfoy." She said picking carrot out of her hair. "Oh you are so going to pay for that!" She picked up a wet handful of tomato and squashed it into his face.

---

They ran for what seemed like forever until they came to a small clearing in the forest. The leaves on the ground crunched under their feet so every move they made was echoed through the trees.

"Where to now?" she said on the brink of tears.

"I don't know. Um – where are we?"

"Wha- !" she exclaimed louder than she would have liked. She fixed her tone and repeated herself much lower than before. "What!"

"I don't think I've ever been here before, I don't recognize any of this." He looked around desperately trying to find his bearings.

"You come here every year and you have no idea where we are?" she said exasperated.

"I come here with my father, he practically grew up here. He knows where we go, I just follow him."

"And you never thought to look around in case you got lost?"

"I never had to I was with him, we never got lost."

"Oh for Merlin's sa-." There were rhythmic crunching leaves coming up fast behind them.

"Oh god! What do we do!"

"Run!"

They parted ways around a tree and ran parallel but further apart from each other. Cordelia turned to her left and saw the creature was following Chayse and not her, its head was near the ground with its horns bearing across ready to strike as it looked at its target. Chayse was running a lot faster than he ever had and at the back of her mind she stored that memory to laugh at later, right now she knew she had to do something.

She ran diagonal to them just as the creature was about to stake him in the shoulder and pushed him out of the way. Chayse met the ground in a rolling heap of leaves and when he finally stopped he sat up to see Cordelia still running from the animal up a mound. He saw her look around not noticing the tree that she was about to collide with. She turned to notice it but couldn't stop in time and hit her left shoulder falling down on the ground behind the mound of earth they had both run up. He couldn't see her then but he heard her scream as the animal ran into her, its horns driving through her.

"No!" he screamed.

---

"Ow! Ow! My eye, my eye!" He placed his hand on the cutting board to steady himself as his other hand went to his right eye. She dropped the knife on the counter as she tried to take a look at it. Being Malfoy, he just kept it away from her. "Don't touch me, you'll make it worse!" _Is he laughing?_

"Oh my – oh – I'm so sorry are you alright?" she fussed. Then she froze and screamed as the seasoning from the chicken poured slickly through her hair and down her back. It was cold and smelled of sage and thyme.

"You – evil – bastard – liar!" she said as it trailed inside her blouse. "Oh that's disgusting and the floor – look at what you've done to the floor!" She tried to move, but as she did so she slipped. Grabbing hold of Malfoy to steady her was truly the worst idea she could have had as he slipped and fell right down with her.

He fell crossways on top of her chest knocking the wind out of her. "Ow, my stomach. Get off me! You're not light you know." He slowly moved so that he wasn't sprawled across her but as he did so his hand slipped and he fell down once again with his head by her neck.

She could feel his breathing on her neck and felt warmth spread through her despite the cold wetness of the floor. As he tried to rise again she lay deathly still to prevent herself from the desire of grabbing him and kissing him again. He brought his head over her and the front of his hair dropped seasoning on her cheek. He smiled. "Sorry," he said as he wiped it off with his hand.

She smiled at him and tried to focus on something else other than his face, but as soon as the warmth of his hand touched her cheek her eyes centered on his completely. They stared at each other for a while before her frustration got the better of her and she grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him onto her.

His weight pressing against her chest made her unable to breathe but she didn't care. The cold from the floor leaked through the back of her blouse but she didn't care. The chicken's juices were what did it.

"Wait," she said finally.

"What now?" he said.

"This is not romantic at all. I have carrot down my blouse that you're pressing into my chest and they're hard. I have juice of chicken creeping in through my back and it's cold and wet and the floor is hard, I don't know if you've noticed cos I kind of cushioned your fall but it is extremely hard," she laughed.

Laughing, Draco slowly raised himself up and put out a hand to help Ginny up too. She cautiously took his hand and gripped it tight incase he had the bright idea to let her go.

"Thank you," she said making her way to a dry part of the kitchen that wasn't swimming in chicken seasoning. She surveyed the damage. Bits of vegetables and chicken juices were all over the kitchen. Tomato dripped down the sides of the cabinets and the bowl of chicken seasoning was poured on the floor and down her back and hair leaving the pieces to lay bare. "Well, I hope you know I'm not cleaning this."

Draco joined her on the dry area and picked out a small piece of chicken fat from her hair. "And I hope you know, I'm not eating that." They both laughed.

"Right, take out it is then."


	11. Too Much Running

Chapter eleven

The Perfect Plan

**Too Much Running**

He gingerly got up and walked slowly over towards her. Fearing that the beast was still around, he took out his wand and held it tight in his hand. He walked over the small hill they had run over and passed the tree she had knocked and fallen. As he looked around the tree he could see her laying on the ground, the beast had moved back and was watching her. At the sound of Chayse approaching, it turned to watch him angrily about to challenge him also but upon seeing the wand in his hand it stood motionless just staring at it. Chayse looked down to his wand and raised his hand. The beast flinched but stood his ground nonetheless. Chayse then realised it must have be scared of it and pointed it towards the creature opening his mouth as if to say a spell. The creature retreated with a jerk and fled into the trees.

Taking that as a good sign, Chayse rushed down the mound and fell to his knees beside his best friend. She hadn't moved once. It was his entire fault. If he had just listened to her, if it hadn't been for his stupid plan for them to be happy this would never have happened. It should be him laying there not her. She was his best friend, she had remained loyal to him for four years and this was how he repaid her.

"Is this what I get for wanting to be happy!" he cried to no one. "You kill her because of me, what fairness is there in that?" He moved some of her hair from her face and placed his hand on her cheek. As quickly as he had put it there he removed it as if the mere touch had burned him, she was still warm.

"Cordelia? Cordelia! Can you here me, are you awake?"

She didn't move.

"Oh god, I have to go for help. Um – okay, Cordelia you have to wake up for me okay? Please, I can't use magic to wake you up so you'll have to do it on your own. Just listen to my voice, please." She still didn't move. He grabbed her hand and tried to shake her shoulder, but as he did so he felt something hot on his hand. When he moved it, his hand was covered in blood. The horn had gone through her shoulder. "Oh shit. Cordelia wake up you have to wake up!" He then got an idea. He opened his jacket and started searching in his pockets for what he hoped was still there. It was the antidote to the 'Blow out candies,' sold in each packet to wake the victim up. He had put it in his jacket because it couldn't fit in his bag.

He opened the packet hoping that it would work on victims of actual knockouts than just fake ones. The concept was the same so it shouldn't be much different. He raised her head and checked with his hand that she was still breathing and held the packet under her nose.

Within seconds her eyes fluttered open and she started coughing uncontrollably. "Urgh! That's – abso – lutely disgusting!" she coughed harder trying to get rid of the smell.

"You're alive! Thank Merlin I thought you were dead."

"I think I might have been, and if not that would certainly have done it." She pointed gingerly to the packet he had thrown. What happened? The last I remember was running and -." She grabbed his jacket. "Where did it go?"

"It ran that way when I took out my wand."

"You didn't use magic did you?"

"No, I almost did though. I think it was frightened of it."

"Well that'll explain a lot, it was looking at my wand in front of you before we ran. I picked it up before we started to run though. I think it thought that the wand was yours and that's why it came after you."

"Hmm, maybe. Can you stand?"

"I don't know I haven't tried. Being knocked out can do that to you."

"Would you stop with the sarcasm already? Merlin you're just like my father, annoying to the core."

"Your dad's not annoying."

"He is when he gets sarcastic. In that mood, he could agitate a mound of dirt."

Cordelia laughed despite the growing pain whenever she moved. Slowly she pulled herself back with her good arm allowing him to half drag her to a nearby tree. She sat up to prevent herself from falling asleep.

"You have to stay awake, I can't have you getting a concussion."

"Yes father, whatever you say."

"Look I know that when you're in pain you get defensive and not to mention offensive but could you try to refrain? I have to go and get some help."

"What! You ? You don't even know where we are!"

"You remember the clearing? Well I recognize it from two years ago. My father and I went for a walk here once. I couldn't remember it but when I saw you hit the tree I remembered it clearly."

"So it took me to knock myself unconscious for you to get a clear head. How backwards are you?"

"I remembered it because a bird slammed into it then and we had to nurse it back to health because it broke its wing."

"Oh, well thanks to me for knocking it back into your head."

"Will you be alright here on your own for a while? If the – thing comes back just wave your wand at it and you'll be alright."

"Okay, just don't be too long."

"I'll be back as soon as I can. I promise."

---

"Well that's the kitchen done." Draco looked at the sparkling new kitchen that he had cleaned all by himself.

"Good," Ginny said as she dried her hair from the shower. "Maybe next time you can do it the muggle way." She stepped out of her bedroom.

"Eew, no! That's disgusting." He went and sat on the chair in the living room in front of the fire.

"No actually sometimes it can be therapeutic. I do it all the time."

"Yes, well I think we have both established that you are crazy."

She settled down on the couch next to him decidedly closer than she was meant to. "Thank you for the sweater by the way."

"You're welcome. Can I ask you something personal?"

"I doubt I can stop you," she said as she dried her hair.

"True, but really can I?"

"Go ahead."

"What was he like?"

"Who?"

"Your husband." She made a small comprehending face. "Did you love him?"

"Of course I loved him. But we didn't get married; he died before we had a chance to."

"When did you meet him?"

"A little time after we broke up. When I was pregnant I was so happy that I could have something of his. I don't know sometimes it just seemed that he didn't have enough time for me you know? It hurts sometimes to look at her; she looks so much like him and she has his mannerisms too. Sometimes I swear I'm looking at him when she starts with those irritating habits she has.

"What kind of habits?" She seemed to hesitate before answering.

"Well she has this thing wh-," she began.

"Father! Father, are you here? Help!"

"What the hell?" Draco said getting up.

---

Cordelia sat there on the ground for what seemed like an eternity, the cold air on the forest ground was beginning to get to her and she felt herself losing consciousness even more as the seconds passed by. She had to stay awake and some time after Chayse had left her there to find help she had resorted to slapping herself every few minutes when her vision got blurry.

Some time and two raw cheeks later, she realised that the method was getting old and she had somehow become immune to pain and the searing effect it has on the body. It was then that she thought back to when Chayse had followed her over the mound and what he had used to wake her up in the first place. The packet he had thrown might be the only thing that would keep her awake despite the obvious disgusting smell.

She searched the ground with her eyes before they settled on a white packet lying between old brown leaves. Slowly and very carefully she pushed her weight onto the tree so that she could try and stand. After a few mistrials, she eventually managed to fight her way to a vertical position and raked her way up with the hand of her good arm.

"Okay, now the hard part." Tentatively, she pushed herself off the tree and took a partial step forward testing the strength of her legs. When she found they could support her weight she took even more seeing the support of the tree getting further and further away. She suddenly noticed how much further the packet looked standing up and almost gave up when she heard a noise.

"Oh crap not again," she said to herself quietly so not to draw attention. If the beast – whatever it was, was back then she was sure to be an easy catch.

She had to be fully awake if she had any chance of survival. The packet was not that far away now so she got to her knees as her legs seemed to give way. She tried crawling for a few metres but the tiredness crept fast over her and she could feel her eyes drooping with sleep. She fell onto her stomach biting her lip to prevent the scream of pain that would have escaped her. She turned over quickly and looked up at the sky through the trees. It was amazing how clear the sky looked through the leaves and how much closer they seemed when you continued to stare at them.

It wasn't until she heard footsteps did her senses come to her. Though her eyes were filling heavily with the need of sleep, she could still feel a presence of someone or something around her. As everything went black, the last thing she saw was the shadowy silhouette of something picking her up.

---

Draco opened the front door with Ginny close behind him to see his son running like a mad man back to the cabin. Ginny, who stepped out after, looked behind him and saw that her daughter was not there. She also saw the blood on his hands.

"What's wrong?" Draco asked as Chayse reached the bottom step. He took a while to speak between breaths and even when he did it was not at all legible.

Ginny, who was not bothering to decipher, spoke her thoughts. "Where's Cordelia?" she asked fearfully.

"That's what I've been trying to tell you. There was this thing in the woods and we ran and she got hurt and she told me to go for help so I did. She's waiting now we have to help her."

"Oh my – where is she is she still alive or awake or-."

"Son, can you find you way back?"

Chayse nodded out of breath. "Yeah, I – I think so yes."

"Good let's go."

They ran through the woods passing the place they had been sitting when the thing had made an appearance. He saw the bag he had left there when they ran and picked it up and continued running until they reached the clearing and slowed down.

Ginny followed suit and asked, "Why are we slowing down?"

"She's just over there. Over the mound that's where it hit her." Ginny shrieked and sprinted up the hill calling her daughter's name. She stopped at the tree noticing a spot of blood. But it wasn't red, it was blue. When she looked over the mound she turned back to the two men behind her.

"Where?"

Chayse looked confused and walked quickly up the hill. "She's right-." He stopped when he looked at the empty stretch of ground beyond them. "I – I swear I left her right here."


	12. A Hufflepuff's Family

Chapter Twelve

The Perfect Plan

**A Hufflepuff's Family**.

The sudden warmth was the first thing she felt, then the sweet perfume of spring flowers filled the air. She opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling. For the first time she didn't recognize the ceiling she had woken up under. She sat up expecting to feel a sudden surge of pain through her shoulder as she had so far every time she tried to move. There wasn't any.

She looked around in the bedroom she was in and contemplated on how she had gotten there. The last thing she remembered was being hit by a huge animal and seeing its eyes as they both fell and realising that up close they were not actually brown but a rich shade of sherry. She then recalled a large amount of pain before darkness fell on her. Crawling on the ground came next, for a packet to keep her awake and then a shadow of something picking her up. Whatever or whoever it was must have taken her somewhere to tend to her. She swung her legs over the bed and tested them to see if they were working. She pressed on them with her bodyweight and stood up carefully so that she didn't do the same thing she had done before. When she was able to stand for a good few minutes she made her way over to the vanity on the other side of the room. She still had on the same clothes so there was still blood on them, both red and blue. They mixed to a rich shade of purple.

As she stood in front of the mirror she pulled at the sweater she had on to reveal… nothing. The place where the thing had stabbed her was gone. There wasn't even a scar. The scratches that she had felt on her face were gone too.

The door opened behind her. She jumped and spun around. At the door stood a boy that looked around her age, behind him was a woman that looked so much like him she had to be his mother. They were looking at her in concern before the woman went past the boy and came inside.

"Vous êtes bien? J'étais s'inquiété!" the woman said running into the room and cupping Cordelia's head in her hands, she placed her hand on her forehead. "Vous vous sentez malade?"

The boy then entered the room and took her hands off of Cordelia. "Erm, Je ne pense pas qu'elle peut parler le français."

Cordelia stared at the woman with no clue to what she was saying, she suddenly wished she had listened when Chayse was always spitting out his French proverbs. "Erm." She thought hard. "Parlez-vous anglais?" she tried.

"Oui!" the woman said excited. "Erm, do you 'av a name?"

"Yes I do, it's Cordelia."

"Co-or-da-lia?" the woman tried.

She nodded slowly, "Yeah, that's close enough," she said thoughtfully.

"C'est bien ma mère, tu allés en bas." The woman nodded to her son and left the room closing the door. He waited for her to go and then turned back to Cordelia. "You had us all frightened, you know, lying unconscious on the ground like that."

---

There was a sudden sound of something falling and Draco looked around to find Ginny on the ground unconscious. She had fallen on the top of the mound but that had done nothing as she began to slip down and roll.

"Shit." He quickly moved forward to stop her and picked her up in his arms. "Son, where did you leave her?"

"Over there, by the tree." He pointed to the large oak tree that stood off center of the other small clearing. Draco walked down quickly as Chayse followed slowly behind looking at the ground. He could see the footprints where the beast had run down the hill with Cordelia. Near the bottom of the mound was a large dug-out hole in the ground. It must have been where it collided into her. He shut his eyes tight willing away his tears but he couldn't fight them back. They were practically falling when his father called him over.

He walked shamefully to where his father had laid Ginny on the ground keeping his vision down as he went. As he walked he saw footprints of a different kind going in the opposite direction. They looked like Cordelia's size.

"Enervate!" he heard in front of him.

"She got up?" he said quietly. He turned and followed them until there was another two small dug-out pieces of earth parallel to each other. They dragged for a while until they came to a stop and leveled out.

"She fell and crawled to something…" He looked ahead of it and saw a small packet which he knew as the anti blow out candies. She had thought they smelled awful. "She knew it could keep her awake…" As he stepped back from the print of Cordelia on the ground the picture became clearer as more footprints came into view, human ones. "Someone came and helped her?"

What he just said took a while to click, but when it did he yelled out, "Father! Someone came and helped her."

Draco turned around to look at his son. Ginny had awoken and was staring at the two of them bewildered. She knew something had happened to her daughter the second she saw Chayse running but she kept that at the back of her mind. She couldn't help but feel disgusted with herself, while her only child was busy getting killed she was busy almost having sex with Malfoy, again. It was like a sign from God. They just weren't meant to be.

"What are you talking about Chayse?"

"Look for yourself, the footprints on the ground. Someone came to help her! They took her…" He contemplated their direction and pointed. "That way, they took her that way."

When Ginny heard this she got up. "Well let's go for her." She began to walk forward when Draco stopped her.

"Ginny." He held her arm, but the second he touched her she pulled it out of his reach.

"No, don't touch me. Every time we do something bad happens. Right now I just want to find my daughter." She went up to Chayse and looked at him. "Which way did they go?" she asked again.

He shrank back a little. "Um – that way." He lowered his head and Ginny looked at him.

She crouched down and looked into his eyes. "Look at me," she said sternly. Slowly Chayse raised his head so that he was looking her in the eye. "I want you to know, that I trusted you to look after my daughter. The fact that this, beast thing you spoke about has hurt her is not your fault. There was nothing you could do to stop it. Right now I need for you to be strong enough to help me through this. Can you do that for me?"

Chayse nodded and sniffed. He was glad that she wasn't angry at him. "You're not angry?"

Ginny looked at Malfoy and then back again. "Only at myself." She stood up.

"Ginny, if someone took her there aren't many places that they could go. There are a choice few that would live here-."

"The map!"

"What?" both parents said.

"The map, there's a map! We had Williamson make a map. Well actually I think he bought one. He lives here! Well his family lives here. They must have taken her because he told them we were coming!"

"How do you know?" Ginny asked.

"I just do, it's a hunch. She's safe I promise, please, just trust me," he pleaded. Ginny hesitated and looked at Draco.

He shrugged. "He's a smart boy, I believe him."

She sighed harshly. "Fine, but I hoped for your sake that you're right."

"I am, I promise you but I have to find that map." With that he began searching through his bag. Ginny watched him sprint off and looked at Draco as he picked something out of his eye.

"Would you stop that?"

"What!"

She sighed heavily. "Nothing," she said and they both ran off after him.

---

"You speak English?" she asked, surprised at how well he could speak it.

"Yes, a little." He stuck out his hand. "You must be Cordelia Weasley, my cousin Edward 'as told me a lot about you and your plans. I must say zat I was not expecting you to go so far. I am looking forward to meeting Chayse."

She laughed to herself. "Believe me, neither did I." She suddenly thought of something. "Does he know that I'm here?"

"No I do not z'ink so; you were alone when we found you."

"Who else was with you?"

He shrugged. "Seulement mon père. I mean – my far'zher, just my far'zher."

She smiled at his effort to make her comfortable. "What's your name?"

"Oh, Raphaël Williamson, at your service. Edward told me zat you were coming and asked me to service you in any way possible."

"Oh, well I think I should get home. Chayse must be worried and I won't start on my mother."

"Well if you'd like I could transport you back, I do not z'ink zat zey would know where you are."

"That's true." She sat down on the bed and started to play with her eyelashes.

"You play wiz your erm -." She looked at him. He was having trouble finding the right word but he kept touching his eyes with his finger. When she noticed what she was doing she took her hand away.

"My eyelashes?"

"Oui, your - eyelashes."

"Yeah it's a nervous habit."

He furrowed his eyebrows and for a moment she wondered if he knew what she just said. "Come on, we go downstairs."

"Oh, alright then." He took her hand and led her down the steps to a living room where soft chairs encircled a roaring fire. It looked very cosy like the living room at her grandparents' house, The Burrow. Of course, she hadn't been there in years.

"Papa?" he called as he walked down the stairs. She, at least, knew he was calling for his father.

"Oui, Raphaël?" A man poked his head out from a door in the kitchen.

"Elle voudrait rentrer," Raphaël said pointing to her. Cordelia just stood there without the slightest clue what they were saying.

His father set his eyes on her then back on Raphaël. "Bien, la prendre à sa maison." He turned back to what he was doing and ignored them completely. Raphaël turned to her and took her hand then led her out the front door.

"Zat was my far'zher, 'is name is Ralph. My moz'zher, you met 'er upstairs, she is Marianne." He continued walking with her beside him. "Your 'ome is zis way," he said pointing.

"How do you know?"

"We know all cabins up 'ere; it is our business to know. My cousin Edward, 'e says you are coming to visit so we go for a walk to see you. When we do you are being attacked by Grap'orn-."

"By what?"

"A Grap'orn, zey frequent higher in mountain but 'unters after zem, for les cornes-."

"Les what?"

"Erm how you say, erm… ah!" He then placed his two fingers up by his head next to his ears to stick up into the air.

"Oh, their horns?" she said laughing

"Oui, 'orns yes," he said. "Zey are very valuable. Used in potions. And z'eir skin very tough. Stronger zan Dragon. Wizards 'unt and kill each year. So, zey simply drift." He shrugged. "Zey 'ave become common sight around 'ere, very vicious come at any'zhing. Especially if zey 'ave wands."

"Wands? Wands! That's why it attacked us, my wand was on the ground. It ran off when Chayse had his in his hand though."

"Yes, zey run from magic z'ough it cannot penetrate zem. Wizards 'ave found new ways catch zem. Magic that does not involve spells as such but much 'igher levels. Zere are now ways and ways to 'unt for Grap'orns. Lucky we come along to make noise to distract while you run. It would 'ave killed you. We saw you take massive dive with Grap'orn over zat 'ill. Very brave by ze way, saving your bro'zher so."

It took a while for her to register everything. "The noise that made him turn… that was you?"

'Yes, my far'zher actually. He grew up 'ere so 'e knows 'ow to 'andle Grap'orn. We follow you to clearing and over 'ill but your bro'zher was already gone. We figure 'im go for 'elp."

"Yes he went to get my – well, our parents really," she said with a smile.

"We see you crawling on ground zen falling so we bring you 'ere. My far'zher, 'e knows all 'ealing magic. Useful for woods, 'e teaches me 'ow."

"You 'ealed – you healed me?"

"No! Too um – difficult for me. My Far'zher, 'e 'eals you."

She heard distant voices ahead of her. They were calling her name. In an instant she knew who it was.

"Chayse!" she called.

"You 'ear 'im, 'e is 'ere?" Raphaël asked her. "I cannot see any'zhing." He looked ahead but there was nothing there.

She listened again, there really wasn't anything there. She could have sworn she heard him though. They continued walking with the sound of old leaves crunching under their feet. As they rounded a tree, she saw a flash of red but shrugged it off due to the rest of the forest ground being covered in red and brown.

It wasn't until they came to the top of a mound did she see Chayse, her mother and his dad walking in their direction. "Mum!" she yelled out.

Ginny's head snapped up at the sound of her name. Instant relief flooded her as tears fell instantly. "Cordelia? Cordelia!" she returned as she ran towards her daughter's rapidly approaching form. They met in a giant huddle and the bottom of the mound almost tripping over giant roots from the trees. "Oh, I thought I'd lost you! Where were you? Are you alright? Let me look at you." She turned her around and around to examine her. "Look at your clothes, does it still hurt?"

"And who are you?" Draco asked looking up at the boy who was standing at the top of the mound.

"Me monsieur?"

"Oui," Draco answered. "Comment tu t'appelles?"

"J'ai Raphaël Williamson monsieur." He made his way down.

"Edwards's cousin?" Chayse asked.

"Oui," he said.

"Well I'm-."

"Chayse Malfoy, I know." He turned to Draco. "You 'ave a very brave daughter monsieur, you should be proud." He gestured towards Cordelia who was in the process of being suffocated in her mother's love.

Draco turned to them. "Daughter? She's not-."

"Well, I think we should be getting back home," Chayse said loudly enough to drown out his father's words. "Raphaël, thank you very much for your hospitality, we greatly appreciate it."

"C'est rien," he shrugged.

Draco turned back to Ginny who was still denying her daughter air. "Ginny, she's fine, look at her. If she can run down a hill and hug you without expressing any pain she's fine."

Ginny glared at Draco and then looked back at her daughter holding her tight once again. "Don't you ever frighten me like that again do you hear me, I almost died." She let her go.

"Fainted, you fainted not died."

"Shut up Malfoy. What's wrong with being worried about my daughter? She's all I have; you can't expect me to not feel anything after she almost dies."

"But she's fine! Look she can walk, she can run, and she can speak. There's no need to go around suffocating the girl."

Raphaël tugged on the edge of Cordelia's sweater. "Your parents, zey always fight like zis?" he asked Cordelia quietly. Chayse turned around to face him.

"Toujours."


	13. Truth Is In The Eyes

Dear Slygal,

In response to your review... Now.

DragonInk.

---

Chapter Thirteen

The Perfect Plan

**Truth is in the Eyes**

As they entered the room the air was filled with the aroma of food. On one of the chairs in front of the fire sat a man in a uniform. He looked as if he were going to a ball or something.

"Who's that?" Cordelia asked as she walked in behind Chayse. At the sound of her voice the man stood up and turned around. He had two bags in his hand and from the looks of it they were heavy.

Ginny walked in before Draco did and spotted him. When she did she turned to Draco. "Take out is here," she said as she went looking for her purse.

"Don't worry about it," Draco said as he felt in his pockets. She turned to look at him. "C'est combien?"

"Dix Galleons, deux sickles et douze knuts."

"Dix Galleons?" Draco said surprised.

"Oui, monsieur."

"Bien," he said in a resigned voice. "Voici votre pourboire." He took out extra change and put it into the man's other hand.

"Merci Monsieur, Voici votre poulet et votre boeuf." Draco took the containers that the man held out for him, he in turn gave them over to Chayse who put them on the table. "Votre sauce." He handed him a large carton sealed at the top with words that said this way up in various languages. "Ceux-ci vous sont les serviettes de table et voici -." Draco took the napkins and gave them to Cordelia before turning around. The man had paused and was waiting for Draco to turn. "Votre reçu monsieur. Vous avez un jour agréable." He stepped back into the fireplace and the green flames became their usual yellow.

"Merci," Draco said looking through the bags. "Well it's all here, who wants chicken and who wants beef?"

---

"What did he ask you?" Mara asked him.

"The nosy old coot can't keep his nose out of other people's business." The whole group of representatives had been called by each teacher for a series of questions. Easter holidays were on and they were more or less the only other students left at the castle. Apparently the teachers had found it too much of a coincidence and, though they didn't show it, they had become very interested in what the group were doing because they were always together. "What time do you all have?"

"Well my 'appointment,'" Edward began with air quotes, "is in an hour. Now I know what he's after I'll have a better chance at lying. Sometimes it seems like he can read my mind."

"No, you're just weak my friend," Rachel said to him. "Mine was at eight this morning so I had to wake up for it. Easter is not meant to be this stressful. But at least it's for a good cause. Giving people a family is worth it."

"Yeah it's like a fairytale. One without a mother, one without a father. It's almost too much of a coincidence. Especially considering what family and house they were put into," Samantha Palmer said.

"Well it's not as if it's the first time any of us has spoken is it? The houses I mean. A decade ago these houses were like – friends." Zabini chose this moment to sit down by a rock as they stopped walking. It overlooked the lake.

"Really?" Jacques asked him.

"Yeah, haven't you read Hogwarts: A History, the updated version?" They all shook their heads, they obviously didn't read the book unless they were meant to. "Apparently when he – who – must – not – be – named, was still around there was this big war between him and those who opposed him. Harry Potter: wonder boy saved them all though. There was some prophecy thing that said it was either him or the latter and I think he chose himself. But even so, the sorting hat foresaw the events I guess, the houses joined." Some of them gasped. "It was hopeless fighting the battle alone and separated and they all knew it. He-who-must-not-be-named didn't care who he destroyed along the way as long as Harry potter was dead. They all saw his reluctance to care when Harry held one of Slytherin hostage."

"They held one of you hostage?"

"Yeah um some Bulstrode girl, she was a right mean witch, Chayse has asked his dad about it. Anyway, the man just killed her without even blinking with a Crucio. Potter didn't see that coming."

"Really?" they all said.

"Yeah, after that the Slytherins didn't care what was what, or even what their parents told them to do. He killed one of his own and they couldn't forgive him for that. The link between Slytherin and Griffindor wasn't official though, not until one of theirs saved the life of the other."

"Who was it?" Rachel asked intrigued.

"Who do you think?" He waited putting them on edge until he saw some looks of understanding in their faces. "Exactly, it wasn't just the significance of house, it was their family too. A Malfoy saved a Weasley and it was like the beginning of something totally new, after that everything just gelled." He sat back on the rock he had sat down by watching the reactions in their faces.

---

"A Graphorn, what the hell is a Graphorn?" Chayse said. Cordelia had been telling him everything that Raphaël had explained to her. She had gone into the details of their horns and how they were hunted for them to be put into potions and for their tough hide. He had even managed to translate a few things.

"It's a big Grayish- purply type wild animal that would kill you as soon as look at you," Ginny said from the dining table. When she had finished she picked up her plate and took it into the kitchen proceeding to wash them. Draco sat there watching the other two as they sat talking over their plates. Chayse was listening to every word that she said and Cordelia had taken to the limelight as easy as a moth to a flame. He smiled at this. He too was prone to doing that when he had the chance.

"I can't believe I missed it, you always get all the fun."

"You can't believe you missed it?" Draco said looking up from his book. "You had better be bloody grateful, I am not going to lose you any time soon it was hard enough after your mother." His head went back down, though he did continue to glance over.

"Calm down Chayse, maybe when you're older you can have as much fun as me." She had paused to see his reaction and set down her fork putting her hand to her face. Draco watched her strangely; she was playing with her eyelashes. It didn't even seem like she'd noticed it.

"Oh shut up," he said bluntly.

She took her hand away and picked up her fork, it was such a swift gesture that one would think she did it all the time. "No, I mean it, no need to get offended. It's always bothered you that I'm older than you."

Draco blinked shocked. "She's older than you?"

Chayse sat back sulking. Cordelia answered for him. "Yes," she said proudly turning to Draco as she spoke, "I am, by almost two – _whole_ – months," she said looking sideways at Chayse and stressing it into his face.

Draco sat there thinking, it was a little time before he spoke. _That lying bitch. _"Why don't you guys go upstairs for a while," Draco said as he sat there over the book he had brought with him. He looked behind him into the kitchen. Ginny was still washing the dishes.

"But we haven't finished yet," Chayse said a little perplexed.

"Yes you have, Chayse," Draco told him looking him in the eye. "Take your plate into the kitchen and then go upstairs."

Chayse sighed heavily and picked up his plate. He knew there was no way to argue with his father. "Come on Cordy. I think it's time for bed." They walked into the kitchen and rested down their plates.

He heard Ginny's reaction to the plates that still had food on them but she simmered down when they told her why. Draco sat there just staring at the dark colour of the mahogany table. The two children walked past him and up the stairs. As soon as they were out of sight he took out his wand pointing it to the ceiling.

"Silencio," he said as a thin blue veil shot out of the tip and covered the entire ceiling and the stairs that led to where Chayse and Cordelia had walked off to. He did not want them hearing the argument that he was about to stir up. When the veil had dissipated into the ceiling above he pocketed his wand and began reading again.

He waited patiently for Ginny to come back into the living room and pass the dining table. When she did he held onto her wrist tightly dragging her into a seat.

"What the hell, Malfoy let go of me," she struggled but sat in the chair anyway.

"You lied to me," he said simply. If she hadn't have looked at him she could have sworn it wasn't him who spoke.

"What?" she asked

He turned on her, his eyes flashed in anger. "You sat there this morning and blatantly lied to me. All that rubbish about meeting your husband after we broke up, what utter shit."

"What are you talking about?" she asked, though there was a slight trepidation in her voice.

"This morning, I presume you can remember that far Weasley?" He stood up and started pacing not even wanting to look her in the eye. "I know now that for some strange reason your memory seems to be failing you but I'd think that even you would remember the time your child was born, you know, seeing as it was such a memorable event," he mocked.

_Oh god, he knows. _"Malfoy, I can explain," she tried.

"Don't bother Weasley, I couldn't care less." He turned from her facing the windows.

"What? How can you say that?" she turned in her chair to look at his back.

He swiftly spun around so fast she was afraid he would fall over. "What the hell do you mean, how can I say that? How could you sit there this morning and tell me that you met your husband-."

"He's not-."

"I couldn't give a shitting toss what he was to you!" he yelled pointing off to somewhere in space as if Cordelia's father was standing right next to him. "What I do give a shit about is the fact that you were sleeping around with him when we were together!"

Ginny opened her mouth to say something but the statement he just made, made her close it again. "What?" she said, she was utterly confused now.

He threw out his hands in anger. "Your _daughter_ is almost two –_ whole_ – months older than Chayse is. That means that you were almost two –_ whole_ – months pregnant when we broke it off!" He let it register in her mind before continuing. "You actually sat there and lied to me! I cannot believe you." He simmered down and sat back in his chair trying to concentrate.

She had always wondered how long that lie would keep up. In that instant, by just looking at him, she realised how much she had hurt him with that one lie she had made up and kept with for over a decade. She had pondered how he would react when she told him the truth but she didn't know how he would take it. She had obviously underestimated him. Instantly she went back to the thought that she had had when she became pregnant.

_He has a right know._

"Um – Malfoy, there's something I have to tell you."

"What now? Cordelia has an older brother?"

"No! Why would you say that?"

"I don't know Ginny; there isn't so much rational thought in my head right now."

"Well, that's not what I want to say. Cordelia is-."

"Who was he?" he interrupted

"What?"

"What was his name," he said. After a while he clicked his fingers. "I bet it was one of those Gryffindors wasn't it? It must've been, none of the Slytherin's would have dared -." He brought his hands to his face again as he concentrated, determined on finding the answer.

She smiled despite herself. _None of the Slytherins would have dared? You were always protective of what was yours weren't you?_

He caught her smile. "This is hardly a time to laugh at me, Weasley. I bet you're enjoying this aren't you? Seeing me suffer." He sat in silence again before bursting out, "It was that Finnegan boy wasn't it, yeah it must have been. He was always looking at you in that way."

"What way?" she said blushing.

"The way I looked at you, plus she has his eyes."

She laughed quietly at his response. "She is not Seamus' daughter, Malfoy."

"Yeah sure," he said.

"She's not because-." Even as she watched him those things that she had always hated came into play. The way he always had a habit of running his hands through is hair when he tried to think, right now it didn't look so annoying. The only reason she had hated it was because Cordelia had adapted it. She always took after her father with all those annoying things he did. Just as life imitated her thoughts, his hand made its way to his eyes as his index finger ran along his eyelashes. Those same eyes that she had seen stare up at her from the hospital in the face of a baby girl.

It was now or never.

"She's not because she's yours."


	14. For Every Action There Is

Chapter Fourteen

The Perfect Plan

**For Every Action there is…**

"You know, professor Dumbledore, I don't think that asking each student separately was such a good idea." Professor Snape sat down next to McGonagall. They had been called together with Professor Binns and Professor Sprout. There was a faint sound of snickering in the background but it went unnoticed.

Dumbledore had called them mainly to discuss the behaviour of the six particular students of each house that had remained. He had found it peculiar because not only had these been the same students the 'note' from that school owl had been passed to before it was destroyed but, they were also spending an awful lot of time together when he was told that they were all instructed not to talk. At least unless it was necessary.

That had made him think, something about the holiday had made their conferring necessary. It wasn't until he had had a little talk with Severus Snape had he found out a clue that could help him out. Apparently, the two 'deviants' were vacationing in France with each of their parents.

He had then sent owls to each of the six students requesting their presence at different times of the day. However, as the day progressed, the stories seemed to become more and more… identical.

By the last student, Edward Williamson, it was truly ridiculous. Professor Sprout had taken to questioning him and all they had managed to find out was that sometime during the day the group of students had created some script that they had memorized by the time they were to be questioned.

"He's right sir," McGonagall said. "This is getting us nowhere." The snickering had turned into a large but quiet peel of laughter.

"I suppose," Dumbledore inserted. "Oh for Merlin's sake will somebody shut him up!" They all turned to the creator of said snickering. He was in knots by the time all faces set on him. "If you know the truth why don't you just come out and say it?"

"Because, dear head master," the man in the portrait said bowing, "this is truly a satirical scenario. Every clue is in front of you, really Albus you disappoint me. A man of such acclaimed brilliance should be able to decipher a plan created by two simple minded children."

"Well, why don't you give me an extra hint?"

"Fine," he said pulling on his painted moustache. "You have had no disturbances in the houses these past few days have you?" Dumbledore shook his head. "Think back through the past month, these students have frequented their head of house's offices have they not?"

"They have," both McGonagall and Snape inserted.

"And each time you dole out their punishment something new and improved would come up, no?"

"Yes," they said.

"Well," he said counting on his fingers. "For schemes, brains, helpful remarks and the bravery to carry it out who better to turn to than-."

"The students that fit under that stereotype, of course. They used the houses as their personal database of ideas," Dumbledore said clicking his fingers.

"But for what?" Professor Sprout said.

Dumbledore looked at the portrait studying her question; he went and stood by a window overlooking the Quidditch pitch. His mind wandered over the stands and to the hoops at each end. Soon his face smoothed out from its frown. "Goals," he said finally.

"Pardon?" they asked.

"Goals, they had goals." He turned from the window and faced them.

"Goals?" Binns said.

Snape thought back. "You did mention something of the sort to us before when you said they had something to achieve and that detention was not one of them."

"Exactly, if they were striving for something to happen but we kept giving them the wrong thing what else would you expect them to do but try harder? Think about it, if they keep breaking rules we keep giving detention. But if that's not what they're after they go bigger and worse than before until-."

"We call in their parents," McGonagall said smiling.

"Exactly. Now in that meeting with their parents we found out that they have been secretly friends without the teachers or the parents knowing. Obviously they thought that if their parents knew, both of them would be told to stay away."

"So what? They wanted their parents in. We'll just have to deal with them. Nothing big has happened. We'll still be at the same place we were before when they get back."

Dumbledore stopped pacing. "Well that's it, they wanted their parents. We all know of the unfortunate fate of their parents' other halves. When we interviewed our first student," he said thinking that the first student would be a more reliable source as they would have had no way of bending the story. "She told us that they were more like brother and sister than just friends." He reflected over Snape's last comment. _When **they** get back?_ He smiled knowingly. "No, we won't have to deal with them at all."

"Why not?"

"Because, Severus, I think they have achieved their goals after all."

---

Ginny stared at the vacant space previously occupied by Draco. It wasn't until there was a cold chill at her back did she turn around to see where he had gone. The door stood ajar and the small lace curtain that was drawn behind it was blowing with the slight breeze that crept into the warm house.

"Well it's a better reaction than I thought it would be." She got up and walked over to the door and slipped through it.

Malfoy was sitting outside crossed legged on the ground with his cloak on. She cocked her head to the side watching him. He was bent forward with his head in his hands. She clucked her tongue and prepared to walk down to him as he sat on the floor. It was a funny site seeing him on the ground like that considering who he was.

_Then again shock can make you do crazy things,_ she thought to herself.

She made her way down the steps and dropped down beside him. They sat there in silence before he turned to look at her. She mirrored his movements and met his eyes sitting in silence. She had said her piece, it was his turn now.

His mouth opened and closed a series of times but nothing came out so he turned back to looking at the ground. Ginny turned away and looked up into the sky. It wasn't until he moved his hand did she look back at him, thinking he would make a move to leave. He didn't, he moved his hand to his face again and for the first time she didn't mind it. He, at least, was entitled to it. Her look softened and after a while he looked at her as she watched him. As if snapping out of his reverie he realised what he was doing and took away his hand. He stared at it for a while and remembered looking at Cordelia doing the same thing. He hadn't thought anything of it, or the way she ran her hands through her hair as if she were raking it out while she thought. The way she accepted the spotlight as if she were born to take it, or… how her eyes matched his entirely.

_She was exactly like him_. He smiled.

Finally he turned back to Ginny who was eagerly awaiting some response. She didn't show it though. She was always calm that way. She always waited for others to have their say when the situation called for it. This was definitely one of those situations and despite all the names he had thought about calling her his mind kept on returning to one thing. His mind had been reeling since he left the house but once it settled on that one thought, it was the only thing that had prevented him from talking.

She had been strong enough to give him a life with a family to live through a broken home on her own.

She had said that she was selfish when she found out about Pansy's death but what human being that was bringing up a child on their own wouldn't want some kind of company. In his own mind, she was the strongest person he knew.

He smiled showing the sudden pride he had of her. "So," he said making her head shoot up. "She's not Finnegan's then?" he asked.

She smiled half heartedly surprised by his query. "No, Draco, she's not Finnegan's." She brought up her knees and encircled her arms around them. It was a bit cold outside and she began to regret coming out without her cloak. Malfoy, as ever, had remembered and wasn't even trembling. She shook her head at the thought of him still thinking logically even when his life was being shattered to pieces. She always despised his lack of clumsiness and his gift of organization. She had never had it and he knew it, which was why he had always tried to keep it down when they were in school. Sometimes he would walk into something on purpose just to prove the point that he wasn't as perfect as she had declared him to be.

She laughed then and he regarded her with a strange look. She looked at him and saw it, she shook her head. "It's nothing."

"You've been saying that a lot. The last time you said that I ended up with more offspring, I would prefer if you restrained yourself from using that word when I'm around." He smiled and looked up at the sky.

She laughed harder. "I'm sorry, yes – of course, I'll try."

They sat there for a while in silence. He had picked up a twig on the ground and started playing with it, twirling it as if it were his wand.

He snapped the twig in half. "Does she know?" he said breaking the silence.

She shook her head, "No."

"So she just thinks that her father died in the war?"

"Well he did didn't he?" she turned but didn't look at him, she couldn't. As she looked past him he saw tears fall.

"Does your family know?"

She broke down then. "Oh god, please don't start on my family. The amount of times I've had to elude them… I wasn't sure if I could cope. Then Fred found out about her when Mara – Cordy's cousin – got home from school one year. He owled me but I didn't answer. Cordelia had no idea about the rest of them until she started school. She started asking questions then that I couldn't answer. I told her what I could and made sure that the family didn't tell anyone. Mum came and visited me the next day with Dad and Ron. He obviously brought Hermione and Harry who brought with them their stupid ideas and reasons for me to stay in one place. I just couldn't take it. So, we moved. They don't know where I live now and Cordelia, though she doesn't understand why, has chosen to go along with it."

He chuckled. "What?" she said.

"I think I rubbed off on you." He sat back on his elbows. "You carried this on your shoulders for this long? I'm surprised you didn't go crazy."

"I did. A number of times," she said wiping away her tears though more fell to take their place. "For what it's worth, I'm sorry I kept this from you," she sniffed.

"Ginny," he said getting up. "I can't pretend that I'm not upset with you for keeping this from me but if it means anything I understand why you did it. I'm sure if I was in the same situation you were, thank Merlin I wasn't but, I would have probably done the same thing you did." He gave her a hand to help her up.

She took it and pulled herself up. "What, run away?" she said mockingly.

"No, you didn't run away." He took her hand and pulled her to him. She gratefully welcomed the hug and slipped into his embrace willingly. "You made a decision that any other person would have been selfish about. You sacrificed having a life with someone that you loved, I presume you did love me right?" he said making sure.

She gave him a sardonic look. "Of course I did, I still do," she sniffed into his shoulder.

"Good, you sacrificed it to make sure that I would give my son a good life. One where I wouldn't falter with my feelings toward what I had, I will always be grateful to you for that."

She looked up at him from his arms and gave him a half smile. "But even so Ginny," he said waiting for her to raise her head again. "I would have liked to know."

"You would have come looking for me," she stated.

"Looking? No, Ginny I would have – hunted – you – down," he said matter of factly.

They both laughed at this. "So what now?" she said.

"Well, now that I know I think it would only be fair to tell her too."

"What?" she said jumping out of his arms. "No, no no no no no I can't do that. No she'll hate me, I wouldn't be able to stand that. No." She walked back toward the house.

He watched her go listening to her repeating her words. He shook his head and went in after her.

Ginny walked into the house and went straight to the fire to warm her hands. "Ginny, she won't hate you. I don't hate you and I hear she takes after me in every sense." He took out his wand from his pocket.

"Stop trying to make me feel better, Malfoy. She's going to hate me. You may not be able to show any form of anger right now, but believe me, she has my temper which means she certainly can – what are going to do?" she asked as he pointed his wand to the ceiling.

"Finite Incantatum," he said and a pale blue veil removed itself from the ceiling above them. "Chayse, Cordelia come down here!" There were thumping sounds coming from the rooms above and they maneuvered their way to the stairs.

Ginny stood there frozen. "Malfoy," she said slowly. "Malfoy, what are you doing?"

"We're going to tell her now – well, both of them seeing as she's going to tell him anyway the second she goes back upstairs."

The two of them began walking down the stairs dressed in their pajamas. "Yes, Father?" Cordelia stepped out from behind him and took a glance at her mother.

"Mum, have you been crying?"

Ginny took the opportunity to wipe her face with her jumper. "Cordelia," Draco said. The girl turned to face him. "There is something you should know, both of you." He gestured to the seats in front of the fire. They obeyed and silently walked over to them and sat down. Cordelia didn't take her eyes off of her mother.

"Mum, are you sure you're alright?" Ginny nodded.

"Ginny, would you come here?" Both the children looked at Draco. They hadn't heard him call her by that name before. Their eyes wandered back to Ginny as she walked over from the dining table slowly. Their eyes widened as she took Draco's hand before standing in front of them.

Both of them chanced a glance to each other, a smile could help but surface.

_It's working._

"Go on Ginny, or would you prefer I did it?"

"No, no I can – I can do it." She breathed deep and let go of his hand to crouch down in front of them. It was a while before she spoke and Cordelia had resorted to furrowing a brow wondering why it was taking so long. They had both waited for this moment since March and she could practically feel Chayse's excitement radiating from him. They were probably going to tell them that they were madly in love and marrying in summer. The smile wouldn't go away from her face.

"Mum, it's alright, you can tell me," she said to her silent mother, she took her hand and looked into her eyes.

"Do you remember when you were little and you asked me about your father?" Ginny said shakily.

She frowned a little. "Yeah," she said slowly. "You told me he died in the war, so what?" she sounded confused and looked at Chayse. He simply shrugged; he had no idea where this was going either.

"Well, that wasn't _exactly_ one hundred percent true." She could feel the tears burning.

"Wh – what?" she stuttered. She could feel her heart getting faster, but her silence remained. She felt for Chayse's hand and found it immediately. She squeezed it tight. "What do you mean?"

"I mean – honey, he's alive." Tears fell from both of their eyes. Chayse sat back in the chair but didn't let go of Cordelia's hand.

"Alive?" she said choking up. Tears ran full force and she let go of both their hands to hold her face. Ginny in turn did the same covering her mouth and nose. She watched her daughter as she calmed down.

"Honey, I'm so sorry." She reached forward and placed a hand on Cordelia's knee.

"Why? Why didn't you tell me, why now after everything we've done?"

"Everything you've done?" Draco asked.

Cordelia looked at him and raked her hand through her hair. "Nothing, it doesn't matter."

Draco frowned. _Hmm, just like her mother,_ he thought and sighed. Ginny turned and looked up at him from her position, he could see from her eyes that she was telling him to let it go.

He nodded and turned to the fire. Chayse looked at his father and noticed the calmness he had for an outside observer, it was strange even for him as if he knew exactly what was going on. "Father?" Draco turned to him. "Do you know who he is?" Chayse asked.

Cordelia looked first from Chayse to Draco with a searching look. Draco looked at Ginny, Cordelia then back at Ginny. She shook her head slowly but Cordelia saw. "He knows? He knows and I didn't? Who else knew?"

"Nobody knows honey."

"Then who is he?" she said angrily.

Ginny stood up and stood next to Draco. Cordelia watched her warily as she rose silently from her previous position. Ginny gave Draco a look that told him she couldn't do it.

"What the hell is going on? Who is he!" she almost yelled through a blur of tears. She looked up as Draco stepped forward.

"It's me," Draco said looking her in the eye.

"She's the girl you were in love with before you married my mother?" Chayse said pointing at Ginny. Cordelia spun at him wide eyed.

"What?" she said then turning to Ginny. She shook her head and covered it with her hands. Cordelia fell silent as did Chayse, in both words and expressions. Just blank stares at the two parents. The blank expressions turned to confusion. Confusion turned to more tears for Cordelia and a concerned face for Chayse.

Draco stared at the vacant seat Cordelia had occupied. He looked at the door which now stood ajar and the missing cloak from the hook.

_She was just like him._


	15. Talking It Over

Chapter Fifteen

The Perfect Plan

**Talking it Over**

"He loved you, you know that don't you?" Chayse said as he watched Ginny looking out of the window. Draco had gone outside to talk to Cordelia after she had declared that she wanted nothing to do with her mother and wasn't ready to speak to Chayse yet.

"What?" she said turning.

"He loved you," he repeated sitting on the living room chairs. "He's told me about it hundreds of times." He turned to the fire. "Of course I never knew it was _you _but I knew you existed. My father, unlike you, doesn't keep things from his children." His eyes continued to stare coldly into the fire, the heat unable to melt them.

"Well sometimes you'll find that not everybody is able to face the truth as well as your father."

"Well, yeah," he said getting up, "I knew that already. Besides, the only reason he told me was because I asked him if he ever liked anyone other than my mother. I have a feeling that he would not have told me otherwise."

Ginny's mind recalled on what Draco had told her a few days ago. _If he wants to know then yes I'll tell him. No point in lying to him, he's a smart boy he'll probably figure it out for himself anyway._ She looked at him, he had become closer than before and he had a determined look in his eyes. She watched them for a second. He probably would have figured it out sooner or later.

"Sure they were betrothed but not every arranged marriage starts out with love, half the time neither party has even met." He leaned against the window and crossed his arms.

"How much has he told you?" she asked.

"Well, "he sighed. "He told me that he was in love with someone else when he married my mother and she too had someone else but they couldn't do anything about it. He said that he didn't start feeling anything more than friendship between them until it was closer to my birth." His eyes, as much as she could tell, then began to reflect pain as they stared deep into the flames of the fire that coloured the gray in his eyes. "Just before she died she told him to look after me like he said he would look after her and -." His voice faltered a little. She had found it strange at the time but then she was reminded that he was still a boy. "She told him never to lie to me. If there is anything he has proved to me constantly it's that." He turned to her. "I trust him with everything that I know."

She almost shrank back from his eyes and looked down to the ground. She shifted her feet and then began to watch the fire, realising what it was that he had found so interesting. The flames licked the logs and danced in the air disappearing up into the chimney. The light had become brighter as she continued to stare and she felt she needed a barrier between them to stop them from burning.

"Did you love him?" she heard.

Her gaze snapped to his. As hard and as heated as they were from the fire, her eyes softened on his. She smiled warmly. "With everything I know."

He smiled and turned toward the window. "Then I can understand why you left, for that I will always thank you. He may not have understood but the second he told me, I did."

She surveyed him with a considering look. "He said you were smart," she said as she passed a hand through his hair.

He pointed with his eyes behind her. "So is she." She turned around to face the other two outside. They were still sitting on the ground but Cordelia was lying down. "And for all the reasons he told me, you should have trusted her to handle it too. If anything that's the one thing she's upset about."

---

"Does she think that I'm too dense to understand the concept? I mean, she couldn't even trust me enough to handle it, how is it that after fifteen years she couldn't even tell me I still had a father?"

He stared at her at her sudden outburst. When he had come outside she had seemed closed so he hadn't pushed her. He guessed she was used to her mother trying to talk to her and so had taken a leaf out of her book. He sat there in silence waiting for her to respond. It had taken her a while to become comfortable with him there. She still saw him as Chayse's father and it still frightened her after everything that she'd heard about him, especially when he had gone to school. She stole glances at him when she thought he wasn't looking and that had made him smile. Seeing him that way had settled her a little and she dropped her tense shoulders. Leaning back on her hands, she stared up at the sky opening her mouth once or twice to speak and trying to find the right words to start off with. He gathered that her temper had mixed in somehow due to her current outburst.

"You always had a father, Cordelia."

"Yeah, but not a live one!" she said in an overreacting voice. "At least that way I could've – we, we could've – Aargh!" She raked a hand through her hair getting bits of dirt in it that had stuck to her hands. She sighed in frustration picking up a small broken twig on the ground.

"Exactly, what would it have achieved? This way, if you didn't know, you couldn't have been hurt by seeing something everyday that you wanted but couldn't have."

"Couldn't have? You mean if you had known you wouldn't have tried to find me?"

"No, like I said to your mother I would have hunted you both down -." He stopped when she laughed and he smiled at her. "-But she wouldn't have let me. She would probably have disappeared again like she did with her parents." She began to snap the twig into small pieces and distributed them in a little pile beside her. She looked up at him when he stopped talking and found him staring at the small pieces she had in her pile. She furrowed her brow and picked one up handing it to him.

"You want one?" she asked.

"No," he said quickly feeling embarrassed. "No, sorry, where was I?"

"Mum ran away from Grandma."

"Yeah, her parents-."

"No just Grandma, Uncle Ron and Harry. She told me to stay away from them too. I suppose if I knew about you she'd have told me to do the same."

"Well, she knew that if I knew then I would spend my time looking for you."

He could see the cogwheels turning in her head. She nodded slowly. "But what about the time you're meant to spend with Chayse," she finally said. "I would have been a distraction," she said understanding. She lay back on the ground and stared up at the sky once more.

"I love Chayse, as you well know, but for your mother to sacrifice so much for him and me took a lot of strength. If she told you then that would be more to dish out and judging by her nerves right now, she doesn't have a lot left."

She sat up and looked at him. It seemed as if she were surveying him. Finally she got onto her knees and crawled over to him holding his head in her hands. He let his head relax as he moved it from left to right.

"Is there something you're looking for?" he said as she snapped it to the right running her fingers over his skin.

She squinted into his eyes and opened his lids further with her fingers, he felt as if he were in a medical examination. She smiled as she let them go. "I have your eyes," she said nodding and tilting his head backwards. "Thank Merlin I don't have your chin."

"Hey," he said as he snapped his head down.

"Sorry," she said in an apologetic way. "No offense but I prefer non-pointed," she said not so apologetic but more relieved. She let go of his head and held up one of his hands and entwining his fingers with her own. She inspected them with her other hand. "Ha! I have your hands," she said proudly. "I love my hands, and my hair. I thank both you and mum for them. I always said I'd thank him for that."

"Who?"

"Him – well – you I guess." She sat back down again and immediately brought a hand to her eyes. "Sorry but it'll take a while for me to get used to this."

"Don't get me started." He matched her nervous tone. That silence came again but this time it was more comfortable than it was before. He looked at her. "You know, you have a lot more of me in you than just physical attributes," he said.

She turned to him, her hand still at her eyes. She gave a confused look. "Like what?" she asked.

He laughed, "Like that," he said pointing to her eyes. She furrowed her eyebrows and watched him confused. "Your mother _hated_ it when I did that. I'm surprised you still have your hands, mine were hexed on a daily basis."

She lowered her hand and looked at it, there was a lose eyelash on her finger. "Oh," she said laughing, "yeah, she tells me that all the time. It's always 'You're just like your father,'" she said pointing her finger angrily. "Most of the time I'd just reply with a thank you." She shrugged. "It drives her crazy." She stuck her tongue out through her teeth and grinned devilishly.

"Prime evil," he laughed.

"She says that too." She joined in.

When they simmered down, Draco caught her glancing back at the cabin window. Ginny was watching them.

"Are you ready to go back inside now?"

She shook her head. "I don't know. What do you think I should do?"

"She's still your mother; technically you're not allowed to hate her."

She laughed. "You don't get it, do you?"

He cocked his head to the side and gave her a questioning look as she stood up. "I don't hate her." She gave a small laugh. "I can _never hate_ her." She dusted herself off and then looked toward the cabin as he stood to join her doing the same. Her voice went low and he detected the sadness laced in her words. "I'm just… disappointed."

She began to walk towards the cabin but paused when he didn't follow. "You're not coming?" she asked. He didn't answer, he didn't say a word. He just looked at the ground in thought. She held out her hand to him.

"Father," she said trying in on for size.

His head snapped up and she smiled at him. He looked at her outstretched hand and took it allowing her to lead him inside.


	16. The Letters To School

Chapter sixteen

The Perfect Plan

**The Letters to School**

What are you doing?" Draco asked as he came into the library. He had two steaming mugs of coffee in his hands and he walked slowly toward Ginny as she sat down in front of the fireplace. School had started its last term weeks ago and Ginny had frequented his home to see how he and Chayse were doing, that and – erm – other things. He had never seen her as stressed out as this though. The only strange thing about it was that he had left her there to go to the kitchen to make them. That was over an hour ago.

"I'm trying to figure out how I'm going to tell my parents about this."

"Well, have you tried picking up some floo powder and throwing it in. It usually works for me but if you have different methods feel free."

"Don't joke about this, Draco, I'm serious. This is frightening for me. How do I tell my parents that their granddaughter is living with me in a muggle town, she goes to Hogwarts but I made Fred and George promise not to say anything again and that her father is you? And Ron, how on earth do I tell Ron, especially considering who her father is."

"You know, every time you say that it sounds like a _bad_ thing. I don't know why you keep thinking that way."

"Draco."

"Okay, okay, here I brought you this." He handed her the cup.

"Oh," she said in a grateful voice. "Thank you so much."

"Well," he said sitting down next to her. "What do you want to tell them?" He watched her turn away toward the door and used the opportunity to pick up some powder from the urn that stood, infinitely, in front of her. "There must be something you want to say to them when you mumble those words."

"What words?"

"Where you want to go."

"What? You mean 'The burrow?" He threw the powder in and the fire crackled a little turning the flame green and then slowly turned red in time for her to turn back.

"Yeah, the Burrow, I could never remember the name." He looked into the fire to see a brown haired woman peering through the flames to them. She remained silent though and ran out of the room. When she came back there were others with her, he didn't recognize them but the red hair told him that they were her family. From the looks of the scar on a black haired man, more than family was with them.

"Well, I guess I would start at how sorry I was for keeping Cordelia away from them. Then I'd probably try pleading for them to understand why I did it in the first place." He turned back to her.

"Because of me?"

"Well there was that I guess. Mainly it was because I couldn't take being told how to raise my own child. You don't know how it is, Draco. I let them in for a few weeks and then everywhere I turned someone was telling me, 'You can't do this, you can't do that.' I mean, even Hermione and I thought she would at least try to understand more than anyone."

He heard a distant hiccupping cry come from his left. He half felt like telling them to be quiet.

"Why can't you tell them then, I mean, you're telling me aren't you?"

"That's different Draco. With you, there was always a mutual understanding between us. With my family they just think they understand but they can't. They have no idea how it feels to be alone, none of them because they never have been. I'm – I suppose I'm just different."

"Different how?"

"They still see me as the little girl in the family, mum's companion everywhere she goes and as the little sister. You never saw that and that's what I loved about you. That made you different to them because you made me feel like a different person, like a better person and I'll thank you for that forever."

"When are you going to tell them?"

"When I get enough courage to throw than damned powder into the fire, but I guess when I do that I'll lose my nerve and everything I want to say and I'll probably end up just letting them back in to rule my life again. I hate the fact I can't tell them how I feel, but you wouldn't know anything about that."

"Why would you say that?"

"Because I've had conversations with your son."

"Well I've had conversations with my daughter too and she has a lot to say about you."

"What has she said?"

"It's not for me to say."

"If Cordelia has been telling you things I want to know." There were loud gasps from nowhere. "What was that?"

"Um, I – have no idea." Ginny shrugged it off.

"I want to know what she said."

"And I want to tell you but I can't, if you want to know ask her yourself."

"She doesn't tell me anything."

"That's because you do the same to her. She's on the whole 'mum doesn't think that I can be trusted so why should I trust her?' thing, it's ridiculous. Honestly I have no idea how you both manage to communicate."

"How did you get her to talk to you?"

"I listened to her, something that you have wanted your family to do for a long time but they wouldn't because they couldn't hear you. They, like you, wanted to help you, protect you if I can say so. They, like you, knew that you never had a child before and that the father was nowhere to be seen. Not my fault by the way," he added to his side. "So they tried to help you. You saw this as them taking over your life, but you never said anything. And they, from the sounds of it, wouldn't have listened even if you tried." He moved his head so that she could see him. "But you should have tried anyway, Ginny." Then there was a distant sniff.

"Now I know I heard that, what is that?" She looked around the room for the signs of any people around her. There wasn't any.

"So are you prepared to tell them now?"

She shook her head. "I don't know. How do I face them? What do I do? What do I even say?" She sighed heavily and leaned against him with her forehead against his chest.

"You face them head on, you pick up the powder, throw it in," - He picked up her head and turned it towards the fire. – "and say hello."

Ginny's eyes widened and she almost screamed as she came face to face with her family staring at her through teary eyes. "Draco," she said quietly.

"Yes?"

"What have you done?" She stood up and waved to them meekly. They all waved back slowly and her mother opened her arms, probably waiting for Ginny to step through.

"I've made you face your demons." He gave her a push forward and she walked through the floo connection to her parents as they welcomed her with a hug. Draco watched from the other side and was about to close the connection when a voice called to him.

"Oi! Malfoy, where do you think you're going?" It was Potter, the others had taken Ginny away and left behind was just Potter Inc.

"To bed, if that's okay. I'll leave the family reunion alone." He reached up for his wand on the fire place just as Hermione stepped through and took his hand.

"But now, you're family too." She dragged him over and closed it from there. They passed him and made their way to the kitchen where the others were. Ginny was seated between all of them and excused herself to go to the bathroom.

"I know I'll probably thank you for this later but as soon as we are alone I will kill you," she said as she pulled him into the living room.

"And after that you'll thank me?"

"Probably," she said fidgeting with her fingers.

"When we're alone?"

"Exactly," she answered not catching his hidden meaning.

"Then I'm looking forward to it." He pushed her back into the kitchen and followed her in.

---

Morning came with a vengeance and burned through Cordelia's eyes. "I hate mornings." Cordelia got up sleepily to her friend playing her awful music again and went to get dressed and out of there before she lost her mind. After that she had trudged down to the side of the lake where she met Chayse, sitting down, and as awake as ever. "I hate you too," she stated blankly when he greeted her with a smile. He sat with his back to a tree and had his legs stretched out in front of him. She felt so tired, even though it was the last day of school.

"Wrong side of bed?" he asked pulling her down.

She shook her head and lay back on his legs closing her eyes. "No, too many sides to choose from and each side meant I had to get up. I got distressed."

"Ah," he said sympathetically and left her to her silence.

"How do you think you did in the exams?" she said as she looked up at the sky through the leaves. She closed her eyes in contentment.

"As well as you I suppose, we'll get them at breakfast anyway."

"And how well did I do in the exams?" she asked turning her head with a smile.

"Exceptional, as always."

"Hmm," she said opening her eyes. "That's what I wanted to hear, thank you."

"Thought you would. Have you heard anything from father," he said smiling. It was still weird to say it. The school year was now over and they'd have to get the train back into London again in a few hours. They had both packed with anxiety of having to spend a lot more time together because they were related.

"No, nothing from mum either." She smiled too.

They sat in a comfortable silence for a while. He turned to his side to look out at the lake. The creature had just pulled something under creating a small whirlpool that disappeared with the wind that blew over it. The ripples continued to the edge making small silent waves on the dirt and gravel at its edges. He sighed. "It's weird isn't it?"

"What is?" she said her eyes still closed, she had almost drifted back to sleep. She could stay there forever.

"That right here in March we planned to get our parents together because we were so close we wanted to be Brother and sister. Then along the road we found out that they were already together-."

"And we were already brother and sister," she finished for him. They both laughed.

"Yeah, funny how things turned out isn't it? We didn't even need the plan. It was a waste of genius."

"And we got all those detentions for nothing."

He laughed again. "You would remember those, wouldn't you?"

"It was thirty one days of four hour detentions Chayse, that's one hundred and twenty four hours of my childhood that I wasted." But she couldn't stop laughing either.

"Are you hungry?"

"Famished."

"Well let's get some breakfast." They both stood and walked up to the castle talking about nothing in particular until they walked into the great hall and separated to go to their tables.

---

"Have you finished yours?" Draco asked finding Ginny awake. After a thorough night of thanking him, he felt she needed some sort of nourishment to give her some energy.

"Not yet, it's hard. I don't even think that he likes me," she said taking the plate of breakfast from him.

"Well, after your little heart-to-heart at the cabin, I'm surprised he's not calling you mother."

"He told you about that?" she said shoveling eggs onto her toast.

"He tells me about everything." He sat down opposite her.

"Remind me never to plan any surprise parties around any of you." She smiled and brought her head back down onto the table where he had found her when he walked in. "I can't do this. Why can't I do one for Cordelia instead?" she begged.

"Because mine is for her and we can't look as if we've picked favorites now can we?" He was thoroughly enjoying her torture and she knew it.

"Fine," she said raising her head. She took a bite out of her toast and chewed on it. "How does this sound?" she said swallowing and she began reading.

---

"Good morning students, I trust the last few weeks of school have been as exciting for you as they have been for me." There were a few mumbles here and there. "As we near the end of another school year, we look back on the experiences we've had and all we have achieved." When saying that, his eyes flew from one particular table to another. "And what those experiences and achievements can help us to do in the future. We say good bye and good luck to our seventh years that will leave us to find careers and such, as we will say hello to our new first years in September. We wish luck to our sixth years who must prepare for their N. E. W. Ts and our fourth years who will soon take their O. W. Ls." All the students had a mixed look of anxiety and excitement.

Cordelia snuck a look at Chayse, in one word he looked… bored. She smiled and shook her head turning back to the headmaster.

"Speaking of examinations, we have the results of your end of year exams…" a low grumble filled the room. "They will be distributed throughout your houses as soon as you return from breakfast." The grumble turned into multiple sighs of relief. "However, my congratulations must extend to two of our students here who have proven themselves worthy of a special award for the highest marks in the fourth year exams this school has known in years."

As soon as '_fourth year,'_ was called all Gryffindors looked towards Cordelia who immediately said, "What?" And all Slytherins looked in Chayse's direction who immediately said the same.

"Professor Snape if you will." McGonagall stood up with him.

"Can Chayse Malfoy and Cordelia Weasley please come up here now." Applause erupted throughout the room as they both stood up and walked towards the teachers' table. They met Dumbledore at his podium and accepted the awards from Snape and McGonagall and turned to the student body who roared with cheers even louder than before. It didn't begin to stop until they went to sit down again.

"See, what did I tell you? Exceptional," Chayse said as they parted ways again. Cordelia laughed and hit him on the arm as she went to her seat.

"With that done," Dumbledore said returning to his previous speech. "Let breakfast begin." The tables spread with toast and eggs and bacon and such, Cordelia dug in immediately as the mail came through. Letters from parents were ripped open left right and centre. Chayse looked around, there was nothing for him. He looked over at Cordelia who had done the same. Nothing for her either. They both shrugged, they'd get to see them soon anyway.

About a half hour through when no more food could fit, two birds flew into the hall carrying one letter each. One of them landed by Chayse the other by Cordelia. He didn't recognize the bird at all which made it strange because he knew most of the owls that he received mail from. He once again glanced by Cordelia, in front of her was his father's eagle owl. She had looked over at him and the look in her face made him realise that she knew the owl in front of him too. Both birds looked at them waiting for them to take their mail before flying off and not waiting for a treat.

He opened his letter.

---

_Dear Cordelia,_

_Last night I asked your mother to marry me and she said yes, I know that this is alright for you to handle as I know you have the strength and the power 'to grasp the concept.' I love her very much as I love you and my son and I hope we can live as a united family instead of two separated homes that share a relation. We have spent too much time apart and I have missed out on so much with you that I want to catch up on. I hope you feel the same way._

_Yours_

_Draco Malfoy._

Cordelia lowered her letter.

---

_Dear Chayse,_

_You have no idea how hard it is for me to write to you because I don't know you so well to be able to talk to you. But I hope that this decision that your father and I have made will change this. I want to get to know you better and not just know you as my daughter's best friend or her brother. I hope someday that we too will be able to have a bond as strong as you do with her and your father. _

_Your Father has asked me to marry him and I've accepted his proposal. I know that you can find it in you to understand that I love your father and that I can make him happy. I don't want to replace your mother, as I am sure you know because nothing in this world can do that. I see you as my family now, not just because you are Draco's son and not just because Cordelia is your sister. It's because you talked to me and listened to me and opened my eyes to what I had been avoiding, the fact that my daughter doesn't need to be protected anymore. For that you will always be my family and I will always think of you as my son. _

_I dream for the day you can think of me as your mother._

_Always_

_Ginny._

---

Somehow during reading this Cordelia had stood up and was now just watching the paper as if it had sprouted a head. The Gryffindor table turned to watch her as she dropped her fork on her plate creating a clattering which almost shattered the plate itself. Another loud noise made them turn again. Chayse too had managed to stand up and break his crockery and was staring at his letter so hard a hole could have appeared through it.

They both looked up at each other's noises and stood staring at each other for a while.

The whole hall by then was watching this odd display of catatonic shock. Even Dumbledore was considering sending over Madame Pomfrey.

She had begun to get up but as soon as she did he told her to sit down as he surveyed the faces of his two students. They were twisting into a wide grin. The whole of the Teachers' Table jumped when they began to scream.

Cordelia couldn't help the pure happiness that came with that letter, from the look on Chayse's face he couldn't either. Finally, they broke the silence, the grin still on their faces.

"Oh – My – God!" they exclaimed as they jumped up and down with excitement. Their voices carried throughout the hall and no doubt to the rest of the castle.

THE END


End file.
